Scripted Destiny
by ZukoLuvahh
Summary: In this, Luten, General Iroh's son, before he goes to war, falls in love, with a dead general's daughter - an orphan. she seems to not have any emotion left in her after he family's demise. Can Luten woo her? And what will happen when he goes to war?
1. Chapter 1

Hello :) For all the people who don't know that i am new to this whole Fan Fiction thing, I am. XDD Well, this is my first Fan Fiction, so I hope you like it.

I realli like the Avatar cartoon, but there is one thing that I think should have been included in the series, and that is Luten. :D And for those who don't know, Luten is Iroh, The Dragon of the West's son who died in the war. This is Luten's story. Enjoy! :)

P.S. Please give me feedback, as this is my first one. Thanks! :)

Luten's Story

"Luten! Are you listening to me?" Iroh asked his son, irritated. Luten shook his head to get out of his reverie.

"Sorry, did you say something, father?" Luten asked, confused. Iroh just shook his head.

"Luten," But before Iroh could say anything else, Luten interrupted him.

"Father, do you know where that girl lives? I see her everywhere, but for some reason I have never heard anyone mention where she stays, nor have I ever heard of her socializing." Luten looked at his father questioningly. Luten tried to act like he couldn't care less about that girl, but Iroh knew better. Iroh saw the hope and the anxiety in Luten's eyes. Iroh began laughing.

"Yes, I know who she is, but why do _you_ want to know, my dear son?" Iroh asked his son in a teasing voice. Luten began to turn red.

"No reason, I just wanted to say hi, so she can feel welcome, you know?" he said to his father, defensively. Luten kept his gaze on the attractive girl.

"Have you talked to her yet?" Iroh asked his son. Luten just shook his head.

"I have no idea what she's like, father. What if she hates guys? What if she thinks I'm a horrible person? What if I say something wrong and she starts hating me?" Luten asked his father, worried.

"You'll never know if you don't try, Luten," his father told him, wisely. Luten looked at the ground for a moment, then when he looked back up Iroh saw the determination in his son's eyes. Luten took a deep breath and walked towards the beautiful lonely girl that was leaning against the tree with her face facing the heavens.

"Hello," Luten said, casually. The girl looked at him and shock flitted across her face. He fell into a bow immediately.

"Your Majesty!" she exclaimed, shocked. "How can I be of service, Your Majesty?" she asked him, still in her bow. Luten was startled.

"Please, Miss…?"

"Crystal, Your Majesty,"

"Miss Crystal, please, stand up." Crystal obeyed at once; although, she kept her head bowed, out of respect for the Fire Nation Prince. Luten was confused; he didn't understand her. Usually when he tells his subjects to stand up (the girls especially), they all start crooning over him and are very informal with him – almost treating him like a friend.

Of course, he didn't have a big issue with that, even thought it got slightly annoying at times, he knew that it was improper, _especially_ for the crown prince. Luten smiled slightly at her appearance and told her, the smile evident in his voice, that she could stand up straight. She then looked up and straight into his eyes. She kept her eyes there for about a minute, before she saw something in there that she didn't want to see.

"I, um, I have to go – sorry. Duty calls," she said, avoiding his eyes. And with that she ran off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lu Ten just stood there for a few moments, not knowing what had happened. What had he done wrong, he wondered to himself. After standing in the same spot, staring after the girl for a few minutes, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see his father standing there, looking sympathetic, yet understanding. Lu Ten looked into his father's eyes and saw something there that hadn't been there before, or, his father had been hiding it to well for Lu Ten to notice.

Lu Ten turned around to completely face his father.  
"You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?" Lu Ten asked his father, curiosity, anxiety, frustration, and anger burning in his voice. His father just nodded slowly. Lu Ten had expected this answer, yet his eyes still widened in shock.  
"But how???" Lu Ten asked in frustration. What did his father know that he wasn't saying?  
"Come, I will tell you over a nice cup of tea," Iroh told him, already on his way to his favourite tea shop, The Golden Gate Dragon. Lu Ten followed suit.

Iroh walked into the tea shop, smiling. He greeted the owner and asked him if he and his son could get a private room, one that they could talk unheard in. The owner said yes, and showed them to one of his back rooms that were used for big occasions and had to be booked. Only, the owner wasn't charging them. But, Iroh insisted on paying the man the proper fee for the room and, after much contemplation and commanding, the owner finally gave in, although he was far from happy about it.

Iroh and Lu Ten both ordered green teas and eagerly sipped them when they arrived. One of the many characteristics Lu Ten had inherited from his father was his father's love for tea. When they were done with their tea, Lu Ten just sat back in his chair and looked at his father, waiting for the explanation that he believed he was entitled to. Iroh took a deep breath and began explaining.

"Okay, first of all, Crystal is her middle name. Her full name is Rui Crystal Xiao, and she is the daughter of the highly respected general Zhong. Zhong had given her her first name, and her mother, who passed after giving birth to her, had named her Crystal.

"Usually, it is customary for the mother to take care of the children, but, in this case, Zhong took care of her. Zhong, at first, spent more time with her than at work, and the Firelord – your Grandfather – didn't have a problem with that, because he completely understood. Zhong was Rui's entire world, and vice versa. Zhong was Rui's mother, father, brother, sister…. He was her everything. Gradually though, as Rui got older and older, Zhong spent less time with her and more time at work. However, Rui completely understood. Infact, she was aspiring to become and even better general than even her father had been. So, when Zhong used to come home from work, he used to teach Rui all about the war front, statistics, and plans that would help thwart the enemy. Basically, he taught her all he knew, and so by the time Rui turned 14, she was almost as good as her father had been, but, the only thing that made her father a better general was that he had experience, whereas she did not.

"A month and a half after her birthday, Zhong was called to the warfront. When Rui found out that he was going but he wasn't taking her, she grew furious, and scared. What if something happened to him? These fears were born in her mind, and they stayed. No matter how much she tried to reassure herself that nothing would happen to him, her fears still stayed in her mind. She grew furious with herself; so much for general. How would she be able to give good advice and war tactics when she was so afraid of it? She then decided that never again would she be afraid of the prospect of war. She managed to bid her father good-bye with only a few tears by convincing herself that nothing would happen to her father – nothing _could_ happen. He was invincible – her invincible father. Little did she know that she was far from right.

"About 2 months later, there was a knock on her door in the middle of the day. She opened it to find a sorrowful soldier with a letter and a box in his hands. At first, Rui didn't realize what it meant. She just looked at the soldier in confusion. The soldier, understanding that she wasn't going to understand anytime soon, then said the few words that would destroy her life. He told her that her father had died in battle; he was a very brave man, and the rest of the hullabaloo that they say.

"They gave her the box and told her that it held all of her father's possessions. She merely nodded, too numb to speak. She was just waiting for the man to leave so that she could finally escape the mask that she was wearing. Before leaving, the soldier bowed low and said that her father was a very brave man who was very loved and valued, and he would be missed greatly. The poor child merely nodded. The soldier gave one final small, sympathetic smile, saluted, and walked off.

"Rui closed the door, tears already escaping her perfectly constructed mask. People say she didn't come out of her house for days, and when she finally did, it was because the Firelord had summoned her. You see, the Firelord knew that she was trained and was almost as good as her when it came to advising and devising war tactics, so, it was only fitting that she be instated in her father's position on his personal council. At first, a couple of the other generals disagreed, because, you see, she was a girl, and girls weren't welcome in the war chamber and on the council. However, the Firelord soon managed to convince them that she was the best person to take her father's position, since he had taught her everything he had known. The council agreed, unwillingly yes, but still, they agreed.

"Rui accepted her position, honoured. Whatever doubts the other council members had had were long gone by the time Rui's first meeting was over. They were stunned at her knowledge and her plans; they were flawless, or as flawless as plans could get, anyway. The council members were very pleased with the Firelord's choice. And so, she's been on the council ever since. However, she has never been the same lovable child that I once knew. After that horrible day when she found out about her father, it's like everything – all her emotion – was drained from her in those tears...." Iroh looked thoughtfully at his empty cup of tea. Lu Ten offered him another one, but he refused.

"I have to go back to the palace; your grandfather wants to speak with me." Lu Ten looked at his father and cocked his head slightly to the right. Iroh burst out laughing. He looked at his son affectionately.  
"Your mother used to do that all the time…." Iroh looked away from Lu Ten, trying to wipe the few tears that had escaped his eyes without his son's notice. However, Lu Ten _did_ notice, but decided not to say anything as to not invade on his father's privacy and emotions. Lu Ten knew that his father missed his mother greatly, and so did Lu Ten, only not as much, because he never got to know her, so he never really had anyone to miss; just a mother figure in general.

When Lu Ten was small, he always used to sit for hours on end, just imagining what his mother must have been like. After he had finished, he would always feel happy and sad. Happy because he felt like he knew his mother better, but sad because now he wished even more that he had a mother. Lu Ten got up and put his hand on his father's shoulder, smiling faintly.

Iroh never mentioned it, but, Lu Ten knew that Iroh wanted to have grandchildren to play with before he joined Lu Ten's mother. The only problem was, none of the females in the Fire Nation had caught Lu Ten's eye yet – until now. Right then and there, Lu Ten vowed that he would get this girl no matter what. He didn't care what he had to do. All he knew was that he would get her, no matter the consequences.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lu Ten looked up to see his father's face above his own, looking down at him disapprovingly.

"Lu Ten, do you want to be a general or not?"

"Of course I do!"

"If you want to become a general, you're gonna have to take your training seriously, because I'm not letting you on the battle field without being absolutely sure that you can take care of yourself, and neither is your grandfather!" Iroh looked at his son, furious. Lu Ten stood to face his father. He put both his hands on his father's shoulders.

"Dad, you know I take your training seriously! I just got… distracted… is all." Lu Ten looked down nervously for a second. Then he brought his eyes back to his father's and smiled. He saw the concern and the "understanding" in his father's eyes.

"Lu Ten, you can't jeopardise everything else you've worked for, for a girl – especially for a girl who doesn't have mutual feelings for you!" Lu Ten looked down, knowing his father was right. He looked up at his father, his eyes beseeching his father's.

"Didn't you do the same thing when you fell in love with Mother?" Lu Ten desperately asked his father. He saw a flash of pain in his father's eyes before his father grinned mischievously at him.

"Yes, actually, I believe you are correct!" A look of understanding passed over his father's face, to be replaced with sorrow. "I am sorry, my son. I do believe that I had quite forgotten what it was like to be in love…." Lu Ten smiled at his father.

"Don't be sorry, because, even though you understand why my focus is diverted these days, it is still unacceptable, and I promise that I will try my very best to not let her affect me." Lu Ten bowed to his father respectfully. Iroh smiled and returned the bow.

"All this training has made me hungry! Why don't we go and get a nice hot cup of tea, eh Lu Ten?" Lu Ten just laughed.

They began walking towards Iroh's favourite tea shop, when Lu Ten spotted Rui. He stopped where he was and debated for a second. He then made his decision. Iroh saw his son had stopped walking and looked to where his son was staring. He smiled and walked up to his son. He put his hand on his son's shoulder, making his son turn around to face him in surprise. Iroh jerked his head in Rui's direction, indicating that Lu Ten should go and try to talk to her again. Lu Ten grinned like he was a toddler that had just gotten some Fire Flakes and ran to her. When Rui saw him, she fell into a deep bow right away. Her heart was hammering, for she knew exactly why he was following her this time, and she didn't like his reason one bit. Lu Ten reached her and told her to stand up. Rui obeyed obediently.

"Your Majesty," she said in mock surprise. "It is an honour." She bowed again. Lu Ten held back his grimace. He hated being treated different. Because he was a prince, he could never make proper friends because they all had to worship and respect him, and he hated it. "What of my many services are required by his Highness today?" Rui asked him, pretty sure she already knew the answer to that question.

"I require only one of your services today, general, and that is your company. Rui's eyes widened in shock. Lu Ten smiled. "That is, if you are willing to lend me that service."

He was giving her a choice. Rui's eyes widened even more. Why in the world would he give her a choice? He was a prince, if he really wanted to go out with her, he could just command it and she would have no choice but to obey. But, he wasn't doing that. Instead, he was giving her and option. If she didn't want to go out with him, or hang out with him, she could just say no and he would accept it. She looked at him, suspicious. There had to be a catch to this; I mean, a choice? He was a prince for crying out loud! And besides, there must be a million girls that were dying to go out with him, so why choose her of all people?

Rui looked into his eyes and saw that they were filled with hope, and she also realized that he was trying to hide it. She nearly smirked. He was so bad at hiding his emotions it was pathetic.

"The Firelord has called me to meet with him at sunset, so, if it is before that, I would be honoured, Your Highness." Lu Ten was thrilled, even though he tried not to show it. However, Rui could see right through him.

"Where would you like to go, Rui?" Rui's eyes widened in shock. Fear and hurt filled her heart. She could feel the tears beginning to escape the safe enclosure of her eyes, so she thought up a quick excuse that would enable her to get home before anything escaped.

"I – I just remembered; my meeting with the Firelord was pulled back to noon, so I must be going now, for I am late. I am sorry." At this point she wasn't even looking at Lu Ten; she was just focused on getting home before she lost control, because she could feel her snap coming. She bowed to him again, quickly, before running off in the direction of her house, which was, in fact, in the opposite direction of her house.

She left Lu Ten staring remorsefully after her. Lu Ten felt a hand on his back and realized it was his father. He turned around and looked at his father in defeat.

"I nearly got her, but then…. Ugh! I'm an idiot!" Lu Ten exclaimed, beyond furious with himself.

"It is not your fault, Lu Ten. She is just not used to this, that is all. And, maybe, she just felt shocked at having been called something that she hadn't been called for so long… since her father died…." Lu Ten was still looking dejected and defeated. Iroh smiled at him. "Why don't we go and get a nice hot cup of tea!" Lu Ten just stared at his father. How could he even suggest something like this? Lu Ten was nearly dying of failure, and his father wanted to have tea…? Iroh's smile left his face. "Come, I will tell you some things you might find useful in trying to woo your girl over some tea." Lu Ten's face brightened and he nodded in agreement enthusiastically. Then they began walking towards Iroh's favourite tea shop.

***

Rui was running, and she wasn't going to stop until she got home. _Oh no, oh no, I'm not gonna make it…_ she thought to herself, panicking. She was running as fast as she could so that she could make it home before she snapped. _How could he have known…?_ Rui was as confused as a person could get. _Unless… General Iroh knew my father… so he must know the whole story…._ Rui wanted to kick herself. How could she have not realized that Lu Ten would have wanted to know about her and so he must have asked his father and General Iroh must have said everything he knew about her…. Ugh!!! She was so stupid!!! She wanted to kick herself.

She finally reached her house and she flung open her door, slammed it behind her, and ran to her room. There, she collapsed on her bed and began to cry. No one had called her Rui for months now… not since her father had died. Oh how she missed him so…. She stayed there, sobbing on her bed, for hours. She ended up falling asleep there and she didn't wake up until morning. When she got up she was starved.

She went to the bathroom to wash her face, brush her teeth, and fix her hair. While she was doing all this, she tried recalling the dream she had had last night. All she remembered was that it had had her father in it. _What had it been about?_ Rui wondered, frustrated. Yet, even after she was done freshening up, she couldn't remember. She finally gave up and came to the conclusion that it hadn't been important because she couldn't remember it. _If it had been important, I would have been able to remember it._ Rui thought to herself, satisfied with her explanation.

Rui ate her breakfast and got herself ready to go to the palace, for today there was a very important meeting for all the generals. As she was walking to the palace, she passed a shop that had a painting of a man and a woman holding hands with clouds circling them in the window. Rui stopped and stood there, unmoving. She wasn't staring at the painting; she was just in shock, for she had just remembered what her dream had been about. It replayed in her head.

"Father?" Rui asked hopefully, staring at the back of a standing man. The man that turned around to look at her was definitely her father, but he wasn't the same person she remembered. The father he remembered had always had a smile on his face, whereas this father had no smile, and was, in fact, furious. She stared down at her.

"How dare you…" he started, furious with her. She looked at him timidly. What had she done to make her father angry?

"What did I do...?" she asked him, afraid.

"You're asking me what you have done? What do you think you have done to disturb me in the afterlife?" he asked her, getting angrier every moment.

"I don't know… I always remember you and Mom… I haven't forgotten you both –"

"That's exactly the point! You haven't gotten over my death, and it has already almost been a year. Do you think I can rest peacefully watching you struggle with the basics of life? Anyone your age _dies_ to be alone so they can do whatever they want. You, on the other hand, are completely the opposite." Her father's filled with sadness. "I love you, Rui, and so does your Mother, therefore we don't want to see you hurting." By this point Rui's eyes were brimming over with tears.

"Dad, you were – are – my entire _world_, and you expect me to forget that my entire world was destroyed? I don't think so. I'll never forget you and Mom! And, as for not being like other kids my age, they only want their parents to go out for a few hours or days, not to be killed! Anyone my age would react the way I am if they were in my situation," Rui ended, satisfied with her retort.

"If anyone your age was in your situation, they would have reacted like you at first, but then they would have gotten over it like normal people!" Rui looked down at the ground. "It's been almost a year, Crystal, and you still act like you just found out that we died!" Rui jerked her head up to look at her father fiercely, her eyes boring into his.

"Do you know what it's like? Waking up every morning, making plans to go out with your father, only to remember right after that he's dead? And has been dead for quite some time now? Do you know how it feels?" Rui was nearly shrieking at this point. "I didn't think so." Rui looked away, smugly.

"Yeah I do. I think you're forgetting that I went through the same thing with your mother, Rui." Rui looked up at him in surprise. How could she have forgotten?

"It – it wasn't the same…. You still had me…. I have no one, Dad…" Rui said, her eyes filling with tears at the loneliness she felt. Her father walked forward and put his hands around her.

"I agree to a certain extent that what you are saying is correct, but when you have another chance at having a family again, why are you shunning it away?" Rui looked up at her father in surprise again. He smiled knowingly at her.

"Lu Ten likes you a lot. Just give him a chance. I'm sure he'll keep you happy, Rui."

"But… if I fall in love with him… and then lose him… I don't think I'll be able to survive that shock. I can't handle any more loss, Dad!" Rui finally exclaimed, frustrated with her weakness.

"Who says anything is going to happen? Maybe you're just paranoid."

"No, that's not it! I can feel it in my bones… it's not going to end nicely. I have a really bad feeling… please, I can't lose anymore than I already have."

"But, if you don't try, you'll never know what could have been! What if something _doesn't _happen, and you were just making a mountain out of a molehill and you lose this excellent opportunity? You'll always wonder what could have been, had you taken the chance. Trust me Rui; he'll make you happy…." Suddenly, her father's figure began fading away. Rui started panicking. She couldn't lose him now, not when she had just gotten him back! She began yelling for her father. As her surroundings began fading away, she heard a voice whisper the words, "I love you, Rui… my daughter…."

Rui shook her head to get out of her reverie. She scrutinized the painting for a few more moments, trying to decipher the reason behind it triggering her dream. However, she couldn't come up with an answer and decided that it was just because the painting had to do with romance, and in her dream her father had mentioned romance.

Rui continued staring at the painting, examining its blasts of colour and how the colours blended together at certain parts of the painting, thing like that. She was so immersed in what she was doing that she broke the very first rule that her father had taught her: be aware of your surroundings. She was so immersed in the painting that she didn't hear the quiet, yet distinct, sounds of twigs snapping and leaves shaking, nor did she hear the quiet slinging of a bow. However, she did hear a yell. She looked up at the sound of someone yelling her name. She wondered why they sounded so excited. Had they won the war?

She looked around for the person that had yelled her name, and once she spotted them, she realized that her name had been called out, not in excitement, but in fear.

"Rui, watch out!" Prince Lu Ten yelled at her. She just looked at him. Watch out for what? The only thing that was in Rui's vision that she should watch out for to avoid was the Prince himself. But why would he warn her that he was coming? Rui finally heard a noise that warned her of the actual danger, but by then it was too late. The arrow was speeding towards her heart, and she was frozen solid.

Suddenly, there was a rather large shape in her vision, blocking her from the arrow. By the time she realized what was happening, the arrow was already deep in the Prince's chest.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys :) ok, im so sorry about not posting for so long.. hehe xD *blushes* havent really had time to write, and i actually go into these writter block thingies, that piss the shit out of me.. xD ive finally figured out that everytime i stop writing, then when i sit back down to write, ive lost my train of thought, so it kinda takes me like 10-15 minutes, sometimes longer, for me to get back in the momentum again . and it frustrates me!!! . anyways, sorry again, and im gonna try posting more often now :) cheers and enjoy :) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEE R&R :) pwetty please?? :D

**Chapter 4**

Rui just stood there staring at the Prince, frozen solid. _Oh no, oh no, oh no…_ she thought to herself, terrified. She realized that if something wasn't done soon, the Prince would die. However, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't move. She stood there, continuing to stare. Finally, she heard a scream. Then, after that first scream, she heard many more, and that seemed to help unfreeze her body. Her eyes suddenly over-flowed with tears that she didn't bother trying to hold them back. She then heard another yell that had even more pain in it than the rest.

"What… LU TEN!!!" Iroh shoved past everyone else surrounding Lu Ten and knelt down beside his son. There were tears pouring down his face. It was one of the saddest things you could ever see. Suddenly my adrenaline kicked me into action. I knelt down beside the General and began trying to redeem myself.

"We have to get him to the nurses, now! He's losing more and more blood as we speak." Iroh just stared at me. I think he got shocked at the fact that I had just spoken to him for the first time, and that to with authority. It was so amusing I nearly smiled. Nearly. "Excuse me, Mr. General, sir? Did you hear me?" He shook his head, as if trying to shake himself out of his reverie.

"Yes, that's exactly what we have to do." Iroh lifted his son up in his arms and began sprinting with his bleeding son towards the hospital. I jumped up and followed the General suit.

I felt so free, running like that. I couldn't remember the last time I had run like that. If the situation hadn't been so horrible, I might have actually enjoyed myself. I lagged behind a little so the General wouldn't feel like I was invading in on his personal space and privacy, and he was probably blaming me for the accident anyway, and with good reason too, so it would be safer for all of us if I just stayed away from the General and the Prince for a while…. So, because of that, when I reached the hospital, I didn't follow the General. Instead, I sat in one of the chairs in the reception area. I didn't see the General anywhere, so I assumed that he was with his son in the operation theatre.

I was just looking at my feet, lost in my thoughts, when I felt someone else's presence beside me. I looked up at the chair next to me and saw that the General was sitting beside me. I got a shock of my life. I finally came to my senses and jumped up and bowed in front of the General. Now it was _his_ turn to look shocked. He realized that he had been staring at me for at least 2 minutes and shook his head, as if to clear the current conflicts and thoughts in his mind. He smiled warmly at me and told me to stand up and sit back down beside him. I did so, obediently. I hid my shock at his reaction to me. He was so calm, when, really, he should be ready to tear my head off. What I was thinking must have been apparent in my eyes, for Iroh chuckled softly.

"I am not furious with you, Rui." My eyes widened at the use of my father's name for me. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt as much as I thought being called my father's name for me would. "It wasn't your fault, Rui." Suddenly Iroh pulled her into a hug, with a worried expression on his face. That's when Rui realized that she was crying.

"It's ok, dear. Let it out… just let it out." Iroh hugged her to his chest, tightly. Rui hugged him back, equally tightly.

"I – was – so – s-stupid! I – sh-should – have – been – pay-paying – attention!" Rui exclaimed, in between her sobs. Iroh just shook his head and stroked her head, in a calming, fatherly fashion. Rui tried calming herself. She pulled away and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. If only her father saw her now! What would he think? She continued to take deep breaths. She stood up and bowed low to the General again.

"I am sorry, General." Iroh just looked at her.

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"For losing control, and for my carelessness. I am sorry for what I did to your son, General." Iroh stood up and hugged Rui again. She knew she should pull away, but she didn't have the heart too, because these were the kind of hugs she used to get from her father, and, for some reason, Iroh reminded her greatly of her father. She then broke away from Iroh after a couple of minutes, and smiled kindly at him.

"Thank you, General. You don't know how much I needed that." She smiled at him again. He smiled back.

"Same to you," he replied, a twinkle in his eye, despite all the pain and horror in his eyes and on his face. Rui apologized again for what had happened. Iroh placed his hand over her mouth, preventing her from speaking.

"My dear, you have _nothing_ to apologize for." He smiled kindly at me, but I could see all of the pain that was present in his eyes. Suddenly I saw one of the Fire Nation nurses coming towards us, with a slightly hopeful look on her face. I tensed up and could feel my heart beat, as well as the General's heart beat speed up at the site of the nurse.

The both of us waited, tense, to see if she was coming to talk to us. She was. She was silent for about a minute before I snapped.

"Well??? How is he?? Is he alive, is he dead?? WHAT'S HAPPENING??" Rui finally cracked and started yelling. However, before she could say anything else. The General put his hand on her shoulder and she calmed down right away and apologized to the nurse for over-reacting and acting unconditionally rude. The nurse smiled and accepted her apology and said that she got this kind of behaviour a lot. She said it was because of turmoil of emotion occurring in their minds and hearts. She also said that most of them never actually meant what they said and usually apologized after. Rui simply nodded, not allowing her annoyance and worry take over her again. Finally, the nurse gave her update on the Prince. When she spoke directly to the General, she spoke while bowing her head out of respect.

"We… we are not sure if the Prince is out of danger yet or not. The arrow punctured his chest quite deeply," she explained. Rui's hand flew to her face and covered her face in horror. The Fire Nation continued with her update, without pausing to look at Rui. "Ho-however… if the Prince survive tonight, he will live for sure – but, th-the chance that he wi-will s-survive tonight is about th-thirty five p-percent." The General and Rui could both see that the nurse was on the verge of tears at having to give this horrible information. Rui just stood staring at the nurse, dumb struck. Iroh stared at the nurse for like a minute, before sliding slowly to the ground in horror. Rui slowly realized that there were tears on her face. She touched her cheek and looked at her finger in surprise. She hadn't even realized that she had started crying. She looked to the ground and saw the General staring off into space, a horrified expression on his face.

Rui bent down beside him and saw tears on his face.

"General…?" she called out softly, her voice layered in emotion. He turned his head slowly to look at her. Rui looked into his eyes and could feel her tears spilling onto her cheeks; there was so much horror and pain and loss present in those eyes, that it actually made Rui cry when she looked into them.

"Everything's gonna be ok, General... he's gonna be fine. I'll make sure that they do _everything_ they can to help him, General. Don't worry, I'll make sure he survives." Rui had a new look of determination in her eyes, and as soon as that look came into her eyes, Iroh knew that she _would_ do everything in her power to save his son. However, he still couldn't stop the emotion from the pain he felt from showing. He finally let himself crack and he started sobbing full out. He felt Rui pull him into a hug, and, somehow, he felt renewed strength from that hug. That's when Iroh realized how difficult it must have been for Rui when her father died, since she had been so close to him… and he had been the only family she had known.

Iroh pulled away from Rui's hug after a few minutes and smiled weakly at her.

"Thank you, Rui… I think I needed that." He chuckled sadly. Rui smiled sadly at him, but Iroh could see the concern for him in her eyes. He answered her question even before she could ask it.

"I'll be fine, Rui, don't worry." He smiled at her weakly. She was opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it and nodded her head once instead, although she was still _extremely_ worried about the General.

Rui looked at the General for a minute more before sighing and standing up. The General looked up at her surprised.

"General, don't you want to stay with your son for the night?" she asked him, heavy sadness present in her voice. He simply looked at her and nodded, mindlessly. She smiled sympathetically at him; she was trying to put up a brave face for the General's sake, but really, her emotions were in turmoil. She was dying inside, because she knew that she was completely responsible for all that had happened, and for all that was happening right now. She wanted to kill herself, but she knew that if she did that, she wouldn't be of use to _anyone_. If only the she had kept refusing the Prince and she had stayed depressed. If it hadn't been for her emotional issues, then none of this would have happened. She would have easily fallen for the Prince, and she would have been acting like a normal girl again, so then she wouldn't have disturbed her father in the after-life, so then she wouldn't have had that dream, and if she hadn't had that dream, then she wouldn't have been so transfixed by that painting because it wouldn't have reminded her of anything because she wouldn't have had the dream, so she would have been able to protect herself and the Prince, so he wouldn't have had to get hurt in the process of protecting her because of her blankness.

That's when Rui made a promise to herself: if the Prince survived – _Which he will! she _thought to herself – then she would do everything in her power to make it up to him. _I just hope he forgives me in the end… _she thought miserably to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Heyy guys :) sorry this chapter's sooooooooooooooo short, its just tht I haven't updated in a long time, so I decided that updating was better than NOT updating, so… yeah xDD sorry, I'll try and update more in the coming weeks, cause exams are almost over!! Yay!! xDD anyways, so yeah. ENJOYY!! And please R&R :) thank you :) xDD

**Chapter 5**

Rui sighed.

"General Iroh, I will now be leaving, but, before that, I will escort you to the Prince's room, and I will make sure you are completely comfortable and have all the necessities before leaving." Rui smiled sympathetically at him, but he looked up at her in confusion.

"Aren't you staying as well, Rui?" he asked her, caught completely off guard by her words. Rui's facial expression turned worried. She looked down, biting her lip, trying to think of a good excuse to leave; She had to go and figure out her plan to get the Prince to forgive her (if he survived, that is).

Then something struck her. She could stay at the hospital over night with the General, putting her plan into action automatically. He would _probably_ be softer towards her if she stayed the night, Rui realized. Then Rui felt a pang of guilt: she shouldn't be staying just because she wanted his forgiveness: she should really be staying because it was the right thing to do, considering he had saved her life and all. That's when Rui decided she would stay and support the General, as well as the Prince. If the Prince survived, then he would need all the attention and care he could get to heal faster, and Rui was going to make sure he had that – even if she had to stay up the whole night watching him, she would. She then looked back down at the General.

"Um, actually, I – " she sighed. How was she going to phrase this without looking like a total idiot? She tried again. "Um, actually, would it be ok if I stayed as well? I really want to, but I'm not sure if the both of us can stay, and I know you will want to stay with him, so I wasn't sure if I should – " Iroh cut her off, smiling sadly.

"Of _course_ you can stay." He smiled at her, his eyes full of pain. He then chuckled. "And since when can any _rule_ stop a Prince from doing what he wants in his kingdom? Even if there _is_ a rule about it, being the Crown Prince, I give you, Rui Crystal Xiao, permission to stay the night with my son, Lu Ten, and myself, General Iroh."

Rui bowed down low to him and said, "Thank you, your Majesty." She then stood up and lent a hand to the General and helped him to his feet. He then looked her deeply in her eyes. Rui felt like he was scrutinizing her. She blushed. Then, after a minute or so of this, the General finally spoke.

"Thank you so much, Rui." She stared at him, shocked.

"Why are you saying thank you?" she asked him, curious.

"Because you have been a better support than you know in this situation, and I know that you blame yourself for this accident, even though it wasn't your fault, and if it wasn't for you, I probably would have gone crazy by now." He smiled at her. She smiled back.

"It is my pleasure, Your Majesty." She bowed down to him again. He smiled at her again. She then left to go and arrange for their stay at the hospital with the receptionist.

After a few minutes, Rui returned, and she informed the General that they were to go to the Prince's room in the meantime, and the beds would be brought to the room within the next 30 minutes or so. Rui explained that they were busy, and so that's why the wait for the beds was so long. The General, being the General, didn't mind at all and just asked the receptionist which room his son was in, and then walked off to his son's room, with Rui right behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The General opened the door, slowly, as if he was afraid that the slightest noise would disturb his son. Rui followed the General into the room, suite. She stifled a gasp behind her hand as soon as she saw the prince on the hospital bed. He was unconscious and there were IV's attached to him and there was still dry blood on his front. Rui suddenly grew furious. This was the _Grand Prince_ of the _Fire Nation_ and they hadn't even gotten down to changing his _shirt_ yet? Iroh, however, merely ignored it and sat down in the chair beside his son and began stroking the hair away from his face lovingly. Rui's eyes were flashing, so she looked pretty frightening and intimidating, which is why when the General looked up at her, his eyes widened in shock. He looked around, trying to find a cause for her anger, but he failed to find one, so he just looked at her questioningly.

"What is it, dear?" he asked her, confused. Rui, at this point, was shaking with anger. She was so angry she couldn't even reply the General right away. She tried calming herself down by taking deep breaths while pinching the bridge of her nose. It worked just enough to enable her with ability to answer the General's question.

"They….. they….. they….." She tried taking in a few more deep breaths to prevent her from exploding, but it didn't work.

"LOOK AT THE STATE THEY LEFT HIM IN!! THEY TOOK SUCH BAD CARE OF HIM!! WHAT THE HELL?!? DO THEY NOT REALIZE THAT HE IS THE _PRINCE_ OF THE FIRE NATION??????? DO THEY NOT UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE HE HOLDS IN OUR SOCIETY? TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE NATION??? ARGHHH THEY ARE GOING TO _PAY_ FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE HERE!!!" Rui took a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay, I'm done now." Iroh just stared at her, shocked. _He probably thinks I'm not capable of expressing this much emotion in 30 seconds_, she smirked to herself.

Iroh then blinked a couple times and shook his head before smiling sadly at her.

"You're right in your own way, however, you fail to realize that without them, he wouldn't even be _alive_ anymore."

"Yeah, but that doesn't give them an excuse to do a half job! The _least_ they can do is change his shirt or something!"

Iroh looked at her thoughtfully for a second. He then opened his mouth and started to reply when she interrupted him, frustrated.

"Don't you get it?? _They are taking advantage of you!_ If it had been any of Ozai's kids instead, they would have been fully taken care of and would have had a nurse constantly watching them! And do you know why?? Because they _respect_ him!! They are _scared_ of him! They – " Now it was Iroh's turn to interrupt her.

"Exactly! They're _scared_ of him! That's why he would get better treatment, because they would be so scared to lose their jobs! I don't want to have that affect on my subjects, Rui. No matter _how_ much better treatment my son and I get." Rui just stared at him and then sighed.

"I guess you're right in your own way," she grumbled. "But I still think it was stupid of them to act the way they did – well, to act the way they _are._" Rui sighed and was about to leave the room to go and question the nurse about their beds and all, when an idea struck her. She didn't _wait_ for the nurses! She could do all of the small things herself! Like, _she_ could change his shirt and wipe the dry blood away, and all of that stuff.

She then ran out of the room right away and ran straight out of the hospital to her house, where she grabbed 2 extra pillows and blankets for herself and the General. Then she ran to her father's old room and grabbed some of his older shirts that were around Lu Ten's size and ran back to the hospital.

On the way into Lu Ten's room, she grabbed another chair, and, once in his room, she dumped all of the stuff onto the chair and ran from the room again almost immediately. Iroh just stared after her, dumbfounded. Rui ran straight to the receptionist and she asked her where she could find extra bed frames (which also included the mattress in them, just not the pillow or the blanket). The receptionist just told her to wait and someone would be over in the room soon with some extras, but, unluckily for her, Rui wasn't in the mood to wait. She grabbed the receptionist by the collar of her shirt and lifted her into the air, _while_ still on the opposite sides of the counter. The receptionist looked at her in fear and alarm.

"I'm just going to ask you once more: where… are… the… bed frames?" Rui practically growled the words out. Shivering, the receptionist told her which room the bed frames were located in. Rui let her go and then ran as fast as she could to the room that had the bed frames in it. She grabbed one of them and wheeled it as quickly as she could down the hall and into the room of Lu Ten. She put the bed frame beside Lu Ten's bed and she then put one of the pillows she had brought on it and she also spread the blanket out nicely on the bed frame. Iroh just looked at her in shock.

"What are you doing?" he asked her, confused. Rui was still panting from all of that running but she managed to answer him.

"Since – they – aren't – capable – of – taking – care – of – the – Crown – Prince – and – his – son – I – decided – I – would – do – it," she managed to choke out between gasps. Iroh looked at his bed and then looked around the room, letting his eyes come to rest on the chair that Rui had grabbed to put the stuff on earlier. Realization dawned on his face and he was about to object when Rui cut across him.

"No, it's okay General, don't worry. I _want_ to sleep on the chair; it'll make it _much_ easier to keep an eye on the Prince." Iroh looked at her, saw the determination in her eyes, and, realizing that he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise, simply nodded in agreement. Rui then took a deep breath and got down to business. "Okay, I'm going to need your help now, for a few minutes, if that's okay, General." The General nodded. "Thanks. Okay, I need you to help me take off the Prince's shirt, because I brought another shirt that he could wear in the meantime, while I get this shirt washed and I get more clothes for him from the palace. Anyways, yeah, so – oh! I hope you don't mind, um, the shirts I brought for the Prince to wear aren't new or anything. Actually, they were some of my father's old clothes. Would you mind if he wore them? Would _he_ mind if he wore them?" Rui had just realized that they might actually take wearing some of her father's old clothes offensive and degrading. However, she was completely wrong.

"Of _course_ none of us would mind! Actually, I am, and I am sure Lu Ten would be as well, extremely honoured that you have given us the privilege of being able to use your father's old possessions." Rui just nodded in thanks, her throat to constricted to speak. She had hardly been thinking of her father lately, because of recent events, but, kbuialso because of recent events, she had gone into her father's room and gone through his possessions for the first time since he had died. She had known as soon as she had made the decision to go into his room that it would cost her her sleep, but she didn't care. A few nightmares was hardly a fair trade for a debt of life. Lu Ten had saved her life, yet she was afraid to do something to benefit her saviour because she was afraid of _nightmares_?? No, she would not be that shallow. She had gone in with a brave face, but had come out of her father's room on the verge of breaking down….

Rui shook her head to relieve herself from the memory. She'd deal with that later. For now, she had a patient to attend to. Rui went to the chair she was planning to sleep on and grabbed one of the shirts she had brought. She then walked over to Lu Ten's bed to help Iroh in taking Lu Ten's shirt off, for he had already started, and was struggling. Once the shirt was off, she gasped. The nurses had bandaged and cleaned the wound all right, but they hadn't even bothered in wiping all of the dry blood off his chest. Rui's anger rekindled, but she held it in. There would be plenty of time for that later. She then left, with a quick murmur to the General, to go and get a bowl of water and a cloth. She returned with both, after making sure that the water was warm and not too hot nor too cold.

Rui walked up to the unconscious body of Lu Ten with the bowl and the cloth in her hands. The General held the bowl while she dipped the cloth in it and wiped the Prince's chest clean of all the dry blood. Once all the blood had been wiped off of the Prince, she left the room again to go and get a towel. When she came back, she wiped his body dry, and, with the General's help, she put one of her father's old shirts on the Prince. She stepped back to admire her handy work. She didn't see any remaining blood on the Prince, so she was satisfied with her work. She looked over at the General only to find his stoking his son's face sadly, with tears in his eyes. She had been about to help him to his bed before she saw him like that, and that's when she realized that the General wasn't going to move…. He would stay with the Prince, because this is when the Prince needs him the most… and the General had acknowledged that… just like how _she_ had needed someone… and the Prince had acknowledged that… but she hadn't….

Rui wiped her eyes, angry with herself, because she couldn't _believe_ how stupid she had been.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Rui realized she was sitting on her knees, very uncomfortably, and was about to open her eyes and move, when she heard some people speaking in hushed tones. After about a second or two, she realized that the voices were discussing _her_! Her mind was alert as she tried to focus on what they were saying.

"Dad, I already _told_ you, she _hates_ me! She doesn't even care if I live or die!" Rui nearly started when she realized that the person who had just spoken was none other than the Prince himself. Rui grew slightly sad. She didn't hate the Prince… it was just that she… she hated anything to do with love….

"Then how do you explain the fact that she stayed here all night because she was worried about you?" the General pointed out, his eyebrows raised. The Prince was silent for a moment.

"She just wanted to make sure I wasn't dead, because she probably feels bad at the fact that I had gotten hurt protecting her or something. She's probably just here because she feels guilty!" he stated, defiantly, but even Rui heard the uncertainty in his voice.

"I think there's something more than that, Lu Ten. I think she's actually begun caring for you." Iroh replied him, sounding thoughtful. "I think she has finally realized that she should give you a chance, or, at least, maybe she's finally decided to try and be friends or something." When Lu Ten stayed silent, Iroh put his hand over his son's. "Look, Lu Ten, you cannot be sure about what's going through _her_ head, but, what you _can_ be sure about is how _you_ feel about her, and how _you_ treat her." He looked into his son's face, a thoughtful look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but then he just sighed.

"I'm going to go and talk to the nurses about your progress so far, and what they are going to do with you for the next few days, how long more you have to stay, and all the rest of that stuff." Iroh smiled at his son and exited the room.

*Rui's P.O.V.*

I heard the General leave, then I tried to sense my surroundings and the emotions and feel around me. My father had taught me how to do that years ago. He said it was important for me to be able to assess the emotions and feel around me, just to make sure I wasn't in any danger, and for other various reasons. He had made me do that every morning when I got up, just to practice. Now I had gotten so used to doing that, that I did it every time I woke up, just out of habit. So, I sensed the feel of emotions around me, and came to the stunning conclusion that the Prince was feeling sad and dejected. After a moment of wondering _why_ this could be, I suddenly realized that it was probably my fault. I was overcome with emotion. He had saved my life and _this_ is how I repay him? By making him feel like a load of shit? I don't think so. I was going to make it up to him no matter what. I had already, previously decided that, but now it was even _more_ important that I do that. After about another minute of contemplating and thinking, I decided to wake up. However, I decided to give him a little warning that I was waking up, because I could feel his stare penetrating me.

I started to move my head around slowly, like I was just regaining consciousness after being bonked on the head or something, and I yawned hugely, while starting to sit up and stretch my arms out at the same time. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at him innocently. Then I let out all my emotion that I had been hiding inside. I looked at him for a minute, confused, then I opened my eyes wide, like the realization had just hit me, and I let my mouth form a big "O". This is how I had initially acted, in my head, when I had found out that the Prince was alive and well. I let my hand fly to my mouth and I started babbling.

"Oh my god!!" I screeched. He winced; that had _probably_ hurt his ears. "Sorry," I said, abashed, blush creeping up my neck and into my cheeks. I hadn't meant to scream so loud. He just grinned at me.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." I looked at him for a moment before I realized that I was being so offending. I gasped and jumped to the floor in a bow within a second. My face darkened with even _more_ blush creeping up my face.

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. I'm being so rude!" I was scandalized at my behaviour. I usually _never_ let anything distract me from being respectful to the Royals of the Fire Nation. The Prince just chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, R – I mean, Crystal." He had sounded a bit sad at the end of his sentence, and I realized that he must have recalled how I had reacted to him calling me Rui the first time. I looked up at him and smiled a smile that didn't reach my eyes, but was a smile all the same. The very first that I had given him, in fact.

"I – it's okay… you can call me Rui." I smiled slightly at him again. I nearly laughed at the look on his face. (Again, I said _nearly_). His eyes had brightened up considerably and his face had broken into a grin I had thought only a child capable of.

"Really? I can? Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" He was about to say something else, but then he bit his lip. He down at his feet before looking at me again nervously.

"What is it?" I asked him, curious.

"I…." He sighed. "Are you _sure_ that you don't mind me calling you that? Cause, you know, if you don't want me to and if you aren't comfortable with it, then I won't. You don't have to let me if you don't want to, Crystal." He rushed the ending, nervous. I looked at him kindly, and I realized that he really _did_ have his heart in the right place, not that I had doubted it before… but now I was _completely_ convinced that he didn't just want to take advantage of me and then leave, acting like nothing had ever happened. I knew that he didn't want to just purposely break my heart and faith again, and I appreciated that. I smiled at him again.

"_Yes_, I'm sure." I smiled at him again. His face broke out in a grin again, and this time, if it was even possible, his grin was even bigger than the last one. He nearly jumped out of his bead in excitement, and this time I _did_ laugh. I finally gave in to what my body needed, and it felt _great_.

The Prince suddenly stopped smiling and just looked at me. I began freaking out instantly. _Oh my god, was I _supposed_ to laugh? I thought that's what he _wanted_! Was I _wrong_??? _I just continued ranting and freaking in my head. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I hadn't even realized that a grin had spread across his face. He looked at me, intrigued and excited.

"You – you _laughed_!" he said, overjoyed. I then realized how depressed I must have seemed to him. I giggled at his reaction. He really _did_ remind me of an over-grown child. He continued to look at me, excitement virtually pouring out of his eyes. I smiled kindly at him again, before letting it fade because of what I was about to say to him. I looked down at my feet, sighed, then looked back into his face again. _This is gonna be so hard…_ I had thought to myself miserably. I took a deep breath, and started speaking.


	8. Chapter 8

**Heyyyy guys :) Ok, well, you know how I had asked for ideas for a new story name (cause, face it, "Lu Ten's Story**" **is a REALLY boring name), and, thanks to PottedLilies, I have a MUCHH better name now :) And it's, if u haven't realized already, *drum roll*.... SCRIPTED DESTINY!! Isn't that an amazing name? Well, I love it :) So, thank u, PottedLilies :) And I would also like to thank her for all of her lovely reviews :) I really appreciate u taking the time out of your busy schedule to give me feedback on my work. It means a lot to me, so thank u :) That is ANOTHER reason why I have decided to dedicate this chapter to her :) So, I hereby dedicate this chapter to PottedLilies :) Thank u once again :) And so, without further ado.... THE NEXT CHAPTER :DDDDDD Enjoy ;)  
**

**Chapter 8**

"I…." I sighed. "I… I'm sorry… for everything… You Majesty," Rui added hastily in the end. Lu Ten just looked at her, too shocked to speak. _He must think I'm PMSing,_ Rui thought to herself, grimly. She sighed again and continued to explain herself. "Look, I-" she paused, and then, after mustering some courage, she continued in a rush. "I'm so sorry about everything – from me not letting you call me Rui to running away from you, to being the reason you were almost killed! I'm so so sorry for everything!! I… I didn't _want_ you to get hurt; in fact, what I want is completely the opposite! I feel so _horrible_!! All you wanted to do was to be friends, and all you wanted to give me was happiness, while all _I_ ever gave you was misery! I'm so sorry!! You deserve so much _more_ than me! I'm a horrible person and downright _unworthy_ to be your friend! I'm so sorry!" Rui ended, in tears.

She stood up straight and tried to run from the room – having no desire to be in the same room as her saviour anymore – all it gave her was pain – only to have someone grab her hand, preventing her from running. She didn't look behind her at the person who had prevented her from going, but she had a pretty good idea of who it was anyway.

Rui acknowledged the fact that Lu Ten's hands were soft, warm, and loving – not at _all_ like the other firebenders' hands – they weren't soft and loving at _all_! Theirs were the result of violence. Well, except for her father's, Iroh's, and, now, Lu Ten's. Rui didn't like to think her hands were rough and horrifying either, so she added herself to the list as well.

They stayed like that for quite a while – 10 minutes at least. Rui didn't want to have to face her saviour again after that outburst (that's what she felt for the first half anyway), and Lu Ten was just being patient with her, knowing full well that she'd turn around eventually. After the first half of the 10 minutes, however, Rui began to realize that she had stopped crying, because she felt comforted. She was shocked because the only people that had ever been able to comfort her had been her father and then Iroh. It was always the father-like figures that seemed to comfort her (and her own father, of course), so how had she been comforted by Lu Ten? Rui was at a loss for words. Her shock, however, increased even _more_ when she realized that she actually _liked_ and _enjoyed_ having his hand around her own.

Her heart sped up, her brain going into panic mode. What was wrong with her? Wasn't she _just_ saying the day before how she didn't want to go out with Lu Ten, nor did she even like him as a friend? Then _why_ in the _world_ did she like having his hand around hers? She was confused beyond all reason and decided to pass off this feeling as one of appreciation. _I guess – no. I _know_ the reason I am feeling this way is because I feel safe with him, and that's _all_,_ Rui managed to convince herself, rather crudely. Finally, after about a minute more of debating, she finally decided to turn around and face the Prince, because she had come to realize that no matter _how long_ she stood there, he _still_ wasn't going to let go. She sighed and turned around, defeated. She kept her head facing the ground, but she looked up at the Prince through her long, thick, and luscious eyelashes.

The Prince had been about to say something, but his voice instantly caught in his throat when he saw her looking at him like that. He closed his eyes for a second and re-opened them, his thoughts rearranged.

"Look," he began, his hand still around hers; it felt too good to move his hand. He felt at peace, somehow, lying there, holding her hand…. "I know you feel like this is all of your fault, but it really isn't. I completely understand _why_ you said and did what you did – if it was me, I probably would have done the same thing. You were just trying to protect yourself – and I understand that." Her eyes widened at this statement; how had he known? How had he known that she was absolutely terrified of losing another loved one? How had he known that that was the reason for her refusal to engage in close human interaction with other people?

Rui was so confused. She just kept on staring at the Prince, wide-eyed. He chuckled at her expression. _She's so innocent…_he thought to himself, sadly. _She's probably wondering how I knew exactly how she had been feeling._ The Prince chuckled inwardly. The truth was, he _hadn't_ known; he had simply guessed, using, what he thought, would be his reaction if hi father died, as evidence. His guess had only been verified _now_, by the surprised look she had given him. He smiled softly at her, trying to unfreeze her expression. He wasn't doing a very good job.

"You… you knew? You knew exactly how I was feeling this _whole_ time?" she asked softly, thousands of questions burning in her eyes.

He hesitated, then said, "I had guessed… and I was right wasn't I?" He ended, on a more joyous and silly note. She looked down at her feet.

Really, he was just trying to distract her, because he had realized that thinking about all of this, and, by bringing it up, he had made her think of her father, and he decided that it _must_ have made her feel horrible inside, thinking about him, so he was now trying to change the subject, to try and distract her from her pain. He didn't like seeing her in pain, but he didn't know why. It wasn't like he _enjoyed_ seeing other people in pain! He hated, in fact. But, for some reason he just could not fathom, when she was in pain, his heart and insides _burned_… literally! He always felt like his insides were burning when she was in pain, and, in fact, that feeling was quite uncomfortable, so he tried to avoid it as much as possible, which is one of the reasons _why_ he was trying to distract her at the moment. He was about to say something else to her when she opened her mouth, obviously to speak.

"How?" she asked him, softly. She was obviously intrigued, and it didn't look like she was in any pain at all. In fact, if anything, all the looked was… _curious_. Lu Ten just kept on staring at her, shocked. However, once he realized that he had been staring at her, he quickly shook his head and smiled at her.

"Well… this answer's kind of a long one; you _might_ wanna sit down for a while." There was a mischievous smile on his face that almost made Rui giggle. If the situation hadn't been so serious, she probably would have.

There it was again… that word: giggle. Rui hadn't had the opportunity, or the ability, to experience that sensation for quite a while now, and she probably still wouldn't have for many years to come, if it hadn't been for Lu Ten. The Prince, Rui realized, was the reason she had started laughing again – even if it _was_ only once; but that once had made all the difference in the _world_. Rui's cheeks were slightly pinker because of the slight increase in the positive energy inside of her.

Rui shook her head, removing herself from her reverie, realizing that the Prince was about to speak. He opened his mouth, paused, then closed it again. He kept doing this for a good minute or two. It kind of made him look like an overgrown pelican, and that image was just _so_ funny that Rui couldn't hold her laughter in any more. She just burst out laughing, right in front of the Prince. And this time she didn't just giggle, she gave a full blown laugh. He looked at her surprised.

"What did I say?" he asked her, bewildered. She just kept on laughing. She couldn't stop, no matter how hard she tried.

"It's just... you…" she said in between giggles, before bursting into a fresh fit of laughter. She took a few deep breaths and tried again. "You… looked… like… an… overgrown… pelican…!" She fell into another fit of laughter. The Prince was just staring at her, shocked. Then Rui realized that she must have offended him, by the look on his face. She instantly fell ashamed of herself. He had been trying to tell her something and all she had done was thrown her appreciation in her face. She instantly jumped up from the chair that the Prince had invited her to sit in (that Rui had realized had been the same one that Iroh had been sitting in during the duration of the night) and fell into a deep bow on the floor. Her face burned red from her embarrassment and shame. Rui suddenly looked up, surprised, when she heard the Prince collapse in fits of laughter. She just looked at him for 2 seconds before bursting into fits of laughter of her own. They continued to just sit there and laugh, all thoughts of Lu Ten's explanation forgotten.

They were so immersed in their laughter that they didn't even notice when Iroh opened the door, looked inside, smiled to himself, and then left the room again, without even uttering a word.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Rui walked behind the Prince, her arms out just in case he started to fall, in which case then she would be ready to catch him. The Prince wobbled a little and Rui's hands shot out to steady him. The Prince chuckled when he felt her hands steadying him.

"Falling's not gonna kill me, Rui," he teased her. She scowled.

"Yes, but you can't deny that it would hurt and not be very pleasant." The Prince sighed.

"No, I guess I can't." The Prince was _very_ irritated about his progress. It had taken a few months for his wounds to heal completely, and because he had been bed-ridden for so long, he had to practically learn to walk all over again. Well, really all he needed was practice, but it felt like having to learn it all over again to him. He had not been allowed to walk while his wounds had been healing, so he had had no use of his legs whatsoever for so many months. He was especially irritated at the fact that while he was here learning to _walk_ again, his father, the General, had been called to the war front again, and, it had been decided _months_ ago that Lu Ten would accompany his father on the next mission he was called upon. However, since his condition was such, he had obviously not been permitted to go on the mission.

The Prince continued to walk unsteadily to the other side of the room, when there was a loud bang outside the Prince's door. The Prince got so surprised that he lost his balance and nearly went tumbling to the ground, when Rui caught him. When Rui had realized he had been about to fall, she had wrapped her hands around his waist, impulsively, and became his support when he lost his balance. The Prince realized that he hadn't hit the ground and then associated the presence on his waist with the girl that had been beside him moments ago. He looked up into Rui's face and smiled grimly.

"I guess it's good that I didn't accompany my father after all, huh?" He chuckled hollowly. He continued to stare into Rui's face, enchanted by her eyes. They were the strangest shade of violet, with a red ring around her pupils. The Prince was enchanted.

Lu Ten only realized that they had been subconsciously moving towards each other when the doors of his hospital room had burst open. They both withdrew from each other so quickly that Lu Ten ended up falling to the floor after all. Rui realized what she had done and felt horrid. She jumped to the Prince's aid right away, a guilty expression on her face. As she was helping him up, they got locked in another stare until they heard someone clear their throat slightly. Rui quickly broke eye-contact to look at their intruder, leaving Lu Ten, once again, marvelling at intensity and beauty of her eyes. He looked to the door in a more, slower and aggravated fashion. What he saw there suddenly brightened his emotions considerably.

Lu Ten's eyes lit up and he tried to jump to his feet, only to fall down flat on his butt again. Rui saw the humiliation flow into Lu Ten's eyes and decided to help him out of the situation. Rui giggled.

"General Iroh, not to be rude or anything, but are you _sure_ Lu Ten is mature enough for the army? I mean, come _on_, he's so immature that he pretended to fall just so that you could come and give him a hug right here." She giggled again. "He's so immature he still needs to see how much you love him." She giggled again.

Lu Ten realized what she had done and felt waves of gratitude wash over him in immense measures. He smiled up at her, "right you are, Rui." He grinned at her, and Rui knew that he meant that grin to be as a thank you as well. She just smiled at him in response. Lu Ten looked up at his father and, upon eye-contact, both burst out laughing. The other Generals that had been standing behind General Iroh joined in as well. Rui just smiled affectionately at the father and son that were hugging and laughing in a heap.

***

After the Generals had all left (they all had to go to a meeting which Rui had been excused from because the Firelord knew that she was with Lu Ten and she was caring for him better than any number of nurses assigned to him could have), Rui sat in a chair sewing a mini t-shirt for her Teddy Bear, Snuffles, while Lu Ten sat in bed, reading a book.

After about an hour of this, Rui felt someone's eyes on her (she had a fairly good idea whose) and she looked up to meet Lu Ten's intense gaze. She looked away, blushing. After another 10 minutes or so, she continued to feel his penetrating gaze, and, not being able to stand it any longer, looked up at him and asked, "what???" in an exasperated voice. He chuckled.

"It's nothing." He continued to gaze intently at her, a small smile playing on his lips. Rui finally grew frustrated and irritated with the Prince. She threw down the small t-shirt on the floor, stood up, walked over so she was standing across from him, and crossed her arms, huffily.

"What is it?!?!? Is there something on my face??? Is there a bug on me? Am I hideous??? Do I look like a monkey…. WHAT???" Rui glared at the Prince's laughing form.

"No, it's just, you –" he stopped speaking and looked down at his lap. Rui's expression softened.

"What is it? Tell me," she said, softly. Lu Ten looked at her and took a deep breath.

"You – you look beautiful when you're angry," he ended in a hurry, blushing. Rui just stared at him, stunned.

She dwelled on what he said. Suddenly, her mind began turning. _What if… no… it couldn't possibly be true… could it? Does he…? More importantly, do I _want_ him to? Hmm…. _She thought about it for another minute before she realized that she actually _did_ want him to. She was surprised at herself. She shrugged internally and began to think about ways she could check. After 5 minutes or so of thinking, she finally decided how she was going to check.

She giggled (that was part of the plan). Lu Ten looked up at her, a questioning look on his face. She giggled again.

"What?" he asked her, perplexed.

"Do I look beautiful _only_ when I'm angry?" She giggled again. Realization dawned on his face, as he realized what she was doing. He smiled at her, a mischievous look in his eye.

"Darling, you _always_ look beautiful." He waggled his eyebrows at her. She giggled again, but this time, it was from the heart. Then the mischievous look fell from his face and a sincere expression took its place. "I meant what I said, you know. You are _amazingly_ gorgeous," he stated, his eyes boring into hers. He just stared at him, her mouth open in shock. Finally, when she came back to her senses, her face turned tomato red. She looked at the ground, embarrassed, yet flattered at the same time.

Rui suddenly felt a finger under her chin, brining her face up. She looked up to see Lu Ten's face, inches from her own. Her breath caught in her throat. Slowly Lu Ten began to lean in, and Rui followed suite.

Their lips pressed together softly, sharing their first of what had many more to come.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Months passed and Rui and Lu Ten spent _loads_ of time together. If you were looking for one of them, all you had to do was find the other one and you would find them. With each passing day they got closer and closer together. They were so close that General Iroh had suggested that they glue themselves together permanently. Lu Ten had laughed and Rui had blushed. They had progressed on many levels in their relationship, but one thing that had stayed the same was how Rui addressed him and his father. Lu Ten and Rui constantly had arguments on this topic, and, in fact, they were having one of those today. They almost _never_ argued, but, when they did, they did it to the _extremes_.

"Look, I _can't_ call you by your name, Your Highness, it just isn't proper!" Rui was frustrated. They had had this argument _so many times_, and at the end of each one, they still couldn't come to a conclusion. No one ever won in this argument because each thought that they were correct in their own way.

"Look, I agree that it was necessary when you first met me, but not any more! We're so close, there's no _need_ to address me so formally!" Lu Ten said, exasperated. He agreed that it had been necessary before, but not now. Not when they were in love with each other! How was he supposed to spend the rest of his life with her if she continued to address him like he was above her existence?? "How are we supposed to get married and settle down together if you're constantly calling me "Your Highness"?" Lu Ten nearly yelled.

He froze; that wasn't supposed to come out – that was supposed to have stayed in his head. He couldn't move; what had he done? What if he had scared her? What if he had freaked her to the point where she was going to dump him? What if she didn't love him back?? Lu Ten stared at Rui, trying to decipher her reaction. He stared at her for a few minutes but couldn't see anything; she had hidden all of her emotion. After a few more minutes, she blinked a couple of times, and, when she finally spoke, her voice was hollow.

"Your Majesty… I… we… um… I…." She sighed. She tried again. "Your Majesty… we can't get married." She closed her eyes, cringing before-hand at the profanities that she knew were to come. When she didn't hear anything, she opened her eyes slowly and snuck a look up at Lu Ten. As soon as she saw his face, she opened her eyes to the max and she put her hands on either side of his face, her heart clenching, for there were tears running down his face.

"You Majesty!" she called, worried. "What's wrong?" She had a pretty good idea _what_ was wrong, but she had to make sure. She wiped the tears off of his cheeks and asked what was wrong again.

"I thought you liked me… I didn't know you hate me…" he said to her, his voice burning with pain and his eyes reflecting the amount of pain he was in. Rui nearly started crying herself; what was going through her own mind was painful enough, but seeing the Prince in this state was 10 times more painful.

"No I _don't_ like you, Your Majesty – I _love_ you," she said simply. His eyes first widened in shock, but then they filled with joy and excitement.

"You… you don't hate me?" he asked, his voice slowly filling with more and more excitement by each word. Rui chuckled.

"Of _course_ I don't! Why did you assume that I _did_?" Rui asked him, perplexed. She was pretty sure she knew what had brought him to this conclusion, but she wanted to know what his thoughts were about it; why upon hearing those words had he broken down? Lu Ten looked down at his feet, his expression becoming soft at first, but then his expression changed to curiosity.

"Why did you refuse to marry me, if you love me?" he asked her, downright confused. Rui sighed.

"…Because it wouldn't be proper." Lu Ten stared at her, stunned. He began to boil with anger, but he controlled it.

"And why, exactly, wouldn't it be proper?" he asked her, working hard to control his tone and the volume of his tone. She sighed again before answering his question.

"Because… because I'm a peasant and you're a _Prince_." She enunciated the last word. The Prince pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to control his anger.

"So… despite knowing the fact that I love you… you still wouldn't have married me and would have married some random guy that you _didn't_ love instead?" he asked her, incredulous. Rui nodded, feeling small. Lu Ten finally lost his temper.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU, RUI?" he asked her, completely out of his mind now. "HOW COULD YOU HAVE ASSUMED FOR EVEN ONE_ SECOND_ THAT I WOULD HAVE FORGOTTEN YOU AND MOVED ON AND MARRIED SOMEONE ELSE? WHAT EVEN MAKED YOU _THINK_ THAT I WOULD MARRY SOMEONE ELSE?? HUH?? DO YOU HAVE AN ANSWER FOR ME?? I DIDN'T THINK SO!" Lu Ten took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself. His eyes closed, he continued in a more _quiet_ tone. "If I can't have you, I won't have anyone." Lu Ten sighed again, and – without opening his eyes and looking at Rui – he walked back to the palace, leaving Rui in stunned silence behind him, tears running down her cheeks.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Rui stroked the picture she was holding of herself and of the Prince; he was standing behind her – his arms around her waist, and she was leaning into him, her eyes sparkling with joy. _Do you _really_ wanna give all that up?_ a voice asked in her head. Rui bit her lip. She knew she was being stubborn about the whole marriage situation, but she couldn't help it; she knew she was right. _A Prince can't just marry some random peasant! No matter how much I wish it was actually possible, it isn't. He will be considered a load of crap if he marries me – a plain old peasant._

Rui stroked the Prince's face in the picture, a tear sliding down her cheek.

***

Lu Ten's POV

How _dare_ she?? How dare she spit on my love like that?? How can she think that I would allow myself to act so _lowly_? How could she expect me to just ignore my love and torture the both of us for the _rest of our lives_??? AGHH that girl gets me so _mad_ sometimes!!!

I shot some fire at a nearby tree from my fist, helping to release my fury a bit, but not by much. I was about to light the rest of the tree on fire when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I brought down my hand to my side and let my shoulders slump in defeat.

"You shouldn't have said all of those things to her, you know." My father turned me around to face him. I looked down in shame, sighing.

"I know," I sighed.

"She's very hurt, you know. Flattered, I imagine, but hurt all the same." My father paused before changing his mind. "Actually, I believe she's more confused then hurt. I think your words have made her doubt everything she knows." When I just looked at my father strangely, he explained. I think my father tends to forget that I'm only 18 and I don't have the same wisdom, intelligence, and experience that he has. "Until now, she has been taught that there are boundaries between the Royals – that's us – and everyone else – that includes her, as well as her father. That's why, despite the fact that her father and I were very good friends, he always addressed me as Your Highness, Your Majesty, General, or Prince, even until he died. You see, she has grown up with that – so don't you think that it will be kind of hard to forget what she has been taught all her life? And you're also forgetting that she believes that everyone who gets close to her ends up dead, which is one of the major things that you have to change in her. Only then will she be able to be with you peacefully. You can't just yell at her like you did just now – she'll only drift away _more_. You've worked so hard to get her, Lu Ten, don't let her slip out of your hands so easily."

I looked at his father for a whole minute before breaking out into a smile. I beamed at my father.

"Thanks so much Dad, I'll go and speak to her now. She needs to know that I'm not putting pressure or anything onto her. I'll wait for her, even if I have to wait for the rest of my life." I smiled in fond memory of the girl I love so much – and my father smiled at the love-struck expression on my face.

I left my father and ran straight to her house, where I knew she would be. She always curls up on her bed with her pillows and blanket when she is upset. I didn't even bother knocking; I kicked down the door with my powerful, muscular legs and ran straight to her room. I stopped in her doorway, once again awestruck by her natural beauty. She didn't even have to _try_ to be beautiful! It just comes naturally to her….

I walked over to her sleeping form and brushed away the loose strands of hair from her face. She stirred, but didn't awaken. I knelt down beside her bed, stroking back her hair from her forehead, gently, as not to wake her. That's when I saw and recognized the picture which was cuddled to her chest. I gently removed her hands from the picture and pulled it slowly away from her. I stared at the painting, remembering all too well the day it was painted….

_ "Your Majesty! I don't _want_ to have my picture painted! Least of all with _you_!" Rui teased. She laughed and I joined in._

"_Well… I guess… that's too bad for you then!" I heard her gasp in surprise as I swept her off her feet and into my arms instead. After she got over the initial shock of being carried in my arms, she giggled.  
_

_"Why Your Majesty! You _are_ quite the charmer!" She batted her eyelashes shamelessly, putting her arms around my neck, and, if it were even possible, my grin grew even wider. I faked disappointment.  
_

_"After all these months… you _just_ noticed I was charming? Oh my! What ever am I going to _do_ with you, Ms. Xiao? I guess… I'm just going to have to _order_ you to have your picture painted with me," I joked. Rui sighed dramatically.  
_

_"And I suppose, being the loyal peasant I am… I shall have to obey you," she said to me in mock disappointment, her eyes twinkling. _

_She _finally_ let me stand behind her, my arm around her shoulders as the painter began. Suddes nly… I changed my mind.  
_

_"No! Wait! Stop!" I cried. Rui looked at me, worried, like she had done something wrong… or that I had finally realized that I didn't want to waste my time with her or some rubbish like that. She always manages to come up with this stuff – and I have no idea _how_! It's kind of annoying actually… but it's also very cute. She looks so adorable when she's insecure; her eyes begin this kind of automatic pouting thing which is just the most _adorable_ expression I have _ever_ seen! And she chews on her bottom lip nervously. She also begins to wring her hands together, looking down at her feet. "Stop painting!" I cried. The painter looked at me like I belonged in an asylum.  
_

_"And, why, may I ask, Your Highness, is this necessary?" He was probably annoyed at the fact that we had wasted one of his canvases or something. Whatever – I couldn't care less.  
_

_"I have decided that I want the picture painted in a less formal manner." At this statement, Rui looked up at me, shock evident on her face. She probably thought I was going to dump her or something. Yeah right. She wishes. I'm _never_ giving up on her. I smiled inwardly to myself. I grinned at her, and, upon seeing the mischievous look in my eyes, she began backing away, slowly. She was shaking her head at me, the promise of anger if I did what she was warning me not too, etched into every part of her beautiful face. She knew me too well. My grin widened. "Sorry, Sweetheart." I smiled at the easy-coming victory. "I'm not really planning on listening to you today." I smirked in knowing victory, before I lunged at her. She tried to get away, but she was too slow. My hands snaked around her waste, pulling her close to me. Our faces were less than an inch apart. We began leaning in towards each other, when we heard someone clear their throat in an irritated fashion. Rui and I couldn't help but grin at each other._

_That day, in her eyes, I had seen the confession that she had totally lost sense of what was happening and where we were and who we were with when we had been about to kiss. That was when I had realized that she felt she exact same way about me that I felt about her – and that feeling that came with the realization was the most wonderful feeling I had ever experienced. That was the day I had figured out that she loved me, like I loved her. _

_

* * *

_

**Hey guys! Sorry about the delay. :$ I got grounded from the computer and then I went on vacation so I didn't really have time to update, so my apologies. Anyways, okay so this was the 11th chapter, so tell me what u think! :) Also, if u are interested in Harry Potter, please check out my story, "Dead or Alive?". It's my new fanfic :) Please review. guys. :) Oh, and also, if u like Harry Potter, u shuld check out the stories: When the Stars Go Blue, and also Dancing in the Dark, as well as Upon a Glimpse. :) Until I next update.... ciao! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for the delay in updating guys. My cousins were here, so I didn't have much time to update :S BUT, they left yesterday, so now I'll have MUCH more time to update :) Enjoy the chapter, and, again, sorry for the delay. Enjoy! :)

**Chapter 12**

Rui's POV

I opened my eyes to see an unmoving hand on my forehead. I looked to my left only to see that the hand on my forehead belonged to none other than Lu Ten. I stared at him, surprised. I hadn't even heard him enter my room, let alone my house. I kept on staring at him, and, slowly, a serene smile spread over my face. Just _looking_ at him made me happy and feel all warm and fussy inside. After a few more minutes, he shivered. Shock filled my mind, before worry took its place. I gently moved his hand from my face and I slowly got out of bed. I walked over to the other side of the bed and grabbed my blanket off of the bed and draped it over the Prince, lovingly. He stirred, but didn't awaken. I smiled at his innocence.

Even though he had yelled at me earlier, I wasn't angry with him. I realized that he was right, and that _I_ was wrong. I shouldn't have decided something so stupid. He was right; if I went through with what I said I would go through with, I would be destroying at _least_ 3 lives. I would be destroying his because he would be separated from me, despite the fact that he loved me. I would destroy his wife because she would never fully receive the love she was entitled to receive from her husband. I would also be ruining my own because I would be broken and incomplete my whole life. Come to think of it, I would probably be destroying General Iroh's life as well, because his life is in his son's happiness.

Therefore, I decided to apologize to the Prince as soon as woke up. I stared at the Prince for another minute before smiling to myself, giving him a kiss on the forehead, and then walking out of the room.

I went into the kitchen to begin breakfast, because I knew that the Prince would probably be hungry when he woke up, and, besides, I was hungry anyway! So, I made some pancake batter before taking out the pan, making the necessary preparations on the pan and on the stove, and placing the pan on the stove to heat. After another 5 minutes, I began making the _actual_ pancakes.

I was on the fourth pancake when Lu Ten walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and yawning. It was such a funny sight to see that I began giggling. I think that's when the Prince finally realized that he wasn't in the palace, because he had jumped as if he had gotten a shock as soon as he had heard me giggle, making me laugh even harder.

He looked around, disconcerted. His eyes kept flitting around for the source of the sound, until they rested on me. It took him a few seconds to actually realize who was standing before him. His eyes widened when they rested on me and he suddenly gasped. He ran straight over to me and fell at my feet. I looked at him, my eyebrow arched. He just sat there for a minute before actually saying something, and when he finally spoke, he spoke in gasps, because he was sobbing.

"I'm – so – s-sorry f-f-fo-for what I s-s-s-said," he sobbed, harder than ever. I couldn't move; I was frozen in shock.

"What?" I asked him, my mind blank.

"I was horrid to you, I shouldn't have yelled, I – " but before the Prince could finish his sentence, I had kneeled down so I was levelled with him, put a finger on his lips, and had whispered, "shhh…. It's ok, Lu Ten. I'm not mad – and – you were right, so _I_ should be the one apologizing. So therefore, I am sorry," I finished, sadness spread over my face.

As soon as I had called Lu Ten by his name for the first time_ ever_, his eyes had widened. I had nearly smiled in amusement. Nearly.

After I had finished my apology, Lu Ten had put his hand on my hand that was on his lips, and had gently removed it from his face, and put it in my lap. He then, slowly, took my face in his hands and forced me to look at him.

"I love you."

I smiled.

"I know."

And with that I leaned in and kissed him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Rui opened her eyes and smiled to herself. It had been exactly a year ago today that she and Lu Ten had begun dating, and a little over 4 months since she had gotten over the whole name issue. Her smile turned into a grin thinking about how Lu Ten reacted whenever she called him "Your Majesty" or "Your Highness" just to mess with him. Rui chuckled to herself. She felt so bubbly and alive, things that she had forgotten about ever since her father had died, but had remembered once she had met Lu Ten.

Rui rolled out of bed and skipped to her bathroom to get ready. In ten minutes she was completely ready, and so she skipped to her kitchen next to make a nice breakfast for herself, but, as she was actually _making_ the Fire Flakes, she decided to make some extra, just in case Lu Ten decided to stop by. She smiled at the thought of her Love.

Rui had finished making the Fire Flakes and was sitting down to eat… when she heard a knock on the door. She smiled to herself. _Thank heavens I made more Fire Flakes_, Rui thought to herself, smiling. Her Love had quite the appetite.

Rui opened the door to find, none other than, Lu Ten, only, he wasn't staring at the door, waiting for it to be opened, but he was staring at the sky, lost in thought. He was so lost in thought that he hadn't even realized that the door he was waiting outside had opened to reveal, none other than, Rui – his Princess – his _World_.

Rui cleared her throat many times, but, for some odd reason, she couldn't get Lu Ten out of his reverie. A mischievous look then came into her eyes: she had gotten an idea.

She put down her bowl of Fire Flakes, noiselessly, on the table near the door in her house, and she silently crept up behind Lu Ten and snaked her hands around his waist and hugged him from behind. At first, Lu Ten had stiffened, but then he had relaxed into her embrace once he had recognized her scent. She had a scent similar to that of lilies mixed with tulips and lavender. Lu Ten took a deep breath in, letting the scent of her intoxicate his mind.

After a few minutes of standing like that, Lu Ten turned around in Rui's embrace, so that he was facing her.

"Happy Monthaversary, my Love," he whispered, in her ear. And then he kissed her.

They stood like that for a few minutes, just standing there, kissing, when Rui's stomach rumbled. Lu Ten broke away to look at her – she blushed. He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Didn't finish breakfast?" he asked, his mouth twitching and his eyes twinkling.

"I got distracted," Rui replied, slyly. Lu Ten burst out laughing.

"Well, you won't need to, because, I'm taking you for something I have _never_ done before – a picnic!" Lu Ten smiled at her, and Rui _had_ to laugh; his expression was so close to that of a child, that Rui found it hilarious.

"What?" Lu Ten asked her, still smiling. Nothing could ruin his mood today; he was so excited!

"It's just – you look so excited!" Rui couldn't finish her explanation, because she had begun laughing again. And Rui's laugh was so contagious that it made Lu Ten start laughing as well.

"What?!" he exclaimed again, only, this time he was laughing as well. Rui continued laughing, and finally, after about 10 more minutes of this, they finally stopped laughing. They were both gasping, holding their sides. Rui smiled at her Love and kissed his cheek.

"You just looked so excited, and I never see any adults looking that excited, so it amused me." She smiled at him again.

"I think amused is kind of an understatement, don't you?" Lu Ten asked her, his eyes twinkling. She whacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow!" he protested, laughing. She giggled. "So," he began, after another minute of just standing there, looking into the eyes of his Love – not that he minded, but he was getting tired.

"Aren't you gonna invite your boyfriend in?" he asked her. Shock and horror flitted over her face.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, horrified at herself for being so rude. Lu Ten laughed.

"I'm just teasing you! Chill! (A/N: no pun intended :P) You know that I hate formalities, Rui." He smiled at her. She smiled back, smitten by his smile. She turned around and walked back into her house, Lu Ten in her wake. On her way back to her kitchen, she grabbed her Fire Flakes from where she had left them: on the table near the door in her house. She walked into the kitchen and Lu Ten followed her into it. He left a picnic basket, which Rui hadn't realized he was holding, on the kitchen table, before walking up behind Rui and hugging her waist from behind while she was heating up some more Fire Flakes.

As soon as she had felt Lu Ten's embrace, she had stopped stirring the warming Fire Flakes, had dropped the large wooden spoon back in the bowl of Fire Flakes, and had leaned into his embrace. She giggled.

"Go sit – I'll finish heating up the Fire Flakes for you."

"Rui – you're a _Fire Bender_, and yet you're still using a _stove_ to heat food up?" he asked her, incredulous. Rui laughed.

"Fire Bending is too powerful – it'll burn the Fire Flakes, and I don't think you want that, do you?"

"You thought right!" he said, laughing. She laughed along with him. "You don't have to finish them, though. Remember? We're going for a picnic…. Ring a bell? How could you have forgotten already?" Lu Ten asked her, confused. Had he not mentioned it? _I thought I already told her…_, he thought to himself, confused. "Didn't I tell you I was taking you?" he asked her, preparing himself for the answer that would tell him that he was losing his marbles.

"Calm down, Lu Ten! Yes you _did_ tell me, but I was just warming these up for you just in case you're hungry right now, because, knowing you, you would have picked some far-off place for our picnic spot." Rui looked over her shoulder and glared at Lu Ten, playfully. He laughed.

"Well, on any other occasion, I would say you were right, but… in this case… you aren't!" Lu Ten exclaimed. Rui did her most famous motion: she arched one of her eyebrows at him. Lu Ten just laughed at her expression. "I decided to take mercy on you this time," he said to her, slyly. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh how _lucky_ for me!" she exclaimed, sarcastically, but the edges of her mouth were twitching.

"Actually, it's quite near – only a 30 minute Rhino ride – you up for it?" he asked her, seriously. She didn't like Rhino riding. Rui winced, remembering how she had fallen off the Rhino the last time she had ridden one, hurting herself in the process. She had hit her head so hard that she had become unconscious, and she had fallen on her back in such a weird position that she had had to do therapy with the Royal Nurses, which no one but the Royals used, unless there is an emergency, because they are the best nurses in the Fire Nation, which just explains how hurt she was.

Lu Ten had noticed her wincing, and so he leaned in and whispered in her ear," I promise I won't let _anything_ hurt you; you'll be safe with me – I _promise_." Rui smiled. After another minute of debating, she finally agreed.

"Okay," she sighed. "But remember!" she suddenly exclaimed, "I'm only doing it because I _trust_ you," she told him in a warning turn.

"Oh I'm just _flattered_ that General Rui has decided to enlighten me with her presence," Lu Ten teased. Rui elbowed him. Lu Ten just laughed. "Actually," Lu Ten began, suddenly serious,

"we really _should_ be going now – _if_ we want to make it in time for lunch, that is." Rui turned around to face him in his arms. A shocked expression overcame her face.

"_You_ made _lunch_?" she asked him, shocked. Lu Ten just rolled his eyes.

"Oh shut up," he muttered, but his mouth was twitching all the same. Rui giggled.

"Okay, I'm just finishing up these Fire Flakes, which I shall put in the basket for us to eat after lunch." Lu Ten nodded and let go of her so that she could get back to work. In the meantime, he opened up the picnic basket and made space for the Fire Flakes. He got out 2 tupperware (sp?) to put the Fire Flakes in. He put Rui's already done Fire Flakes in a tupperware and he put the other tupperware that was for his Fire Flakes beside the stove, so Rui could access it easily.

She saw the tupperware and smiled at him in thanks. He gave her a swift kiss on her forehead in response. This was one of the things Rui _especially_ liked about Lu Ten: he _always_ tried to help her whenever he could, and another thing she liked about being with Lu Ten was that they could just sit or work or eat in silence, and it wouldn't feel weird. They could also understand each other's emotions so well that they knew if the other one just wanted to keep silent, or if they wanted to say something.

After 5 minutes, they were done packing, and were already on their way. Lu Ten had brought the 2 Rhinos with him, but had kept them in her backyard because he hadn't wanted her to see because he had wanted to keep it a surprise. They got on their respective Rhinos and were on their way. True enough, it took them the best part of 30 minutes to get to the spot that Lu Ten had chosen. As soon as Lu Ten realized that they were almost there, he had stopped, and so had a very confused Rui.

"This is the place?" she asked him, incredulously, for Lu Ten had stopped them at the entrance of a forest. Lu Ten laughed.

"Good gracious, no! I just want the place to be a surprise, so you're gonna have to get off of your Rhino now," he told her, while jumping off of his. Rui looked apprehensive as she got off hers. Lu Ten noticed her expression and laughed. "There's nothing to be afraid of! I'm not taking you to some secret war and forcing you to fight or anything!" Rui just rolled her eyes, trying to hide her fear. She trusted Lu Ten with all her heart, but she was still nervous and scared of what she would find.

Rui got off of her Rhino and ended up jumping into Lu Ten's arms. She blushed while he grinned. She rolled her eyes at him. He walked over to his Rhino and put her down, and then he shoved his hand into his back pocket, brining out a ribbon along with his hand. Rui gave Lu Ten the "are you serious?" look and he just smiled in response.

"If you saw, it would just ruin the surprise!" he said in mock despair.

"Oh poo," Rui muttered. Lu Ten just laughed.

"Come on… please?" he begged her, pouting. She rolled her eyes.

"You _know_ I can't say no to _that_ look!"

"Why do you think I'm doing _that_ look?" Rui grumbled out profanities… which had absolutely no effect on Lu Ten at all.

"So… do I take that as a yes?" he asked me, grinning mischievously. His expression then turned serious. "Look, Rui, if you don't want to, you don't have to; I'm not forcing you." Guilt filled Rui to the point where she felt like she was carrying a heavy rock on her chest. Rui smiled at him.

"I know you aren't – I'm just being difficult to make you suffer for that Rhino ride you made me take!" Rui said deviously. Lu Ten laughed.

"We are _totally_ made for each other," Lu Ten laughed and kissed her on the cheek, before tying the ribbon around her eyes. "Love you," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead as they began walking. She smiled.

"You _do_ realize that the only reason I'm still living is for you, right?" Rui said to him, her hand finding his in the darkness that was engulfing her. Lu Ten didn't reply. "Lu Ten, you okay?" she asked him, slightly worried.

"Huh?" he said, dazed. "Did you say something?" he asked her. She just shook her head. What was bothering him?

"Okay then," he said in a fake cheerful voice. Rui could tell when he was lying to her, or faking an emotion or something like that – and right now, he was doing _exactly_ that. However, she decided to ignore it. After a few more minutes of silence, Lu Ten finally stopped walking, stopping Rui with him.

"Are we there yet?" she asked, exasperated. They had been walking for at _least_ 20 minutes. Lu Ten laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, we're here."

As Rui began taking off her blind fold, Lu Ten stopped her.

"What's up?" she asked him, confused. "I thought you said we were here?"

"Hold on – I need only, like, a minute. You have to be in the _perfect_ position when the blind fold is taken off. Rui scrutinized where his voice was coming from, therefore figuring out where his head was, and she whacked the back of it. She heard a thump, a yell, and then a groan.

"Ughhh… what was _that_ for?" he muttered, aggravated. Rui giggled.

"What do you _think_ it was for?" she asked him, grinning. Lu Ten thought for a minute, then he groaned again and started muttering profanities – which, of course, likewise, had no effect on her either.

"You have a sick mind, you know that?" he told her, annoyed. She giggled.  
I'm only joking, my Prince." She smiled because she knew he had probably rolled his eyes at that.

Lu Ten moved her to the right and then turned her slightly to the left. Rui heard his retreating footsteps, and then she heard those same footsteps bound right back to where she was standing.

"Okay," he began, sounding excited. "You can take it off now." She began untying the knot he had tied when suddenly he stopped her again. "WAIT!!!" he yelled.

"What_ now_?" she asked him clearly irritated.

"When you take it off looking up, so the first thing you see… well… you'll see," he said mysteriously. Rui rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see. Even though she had rolled her eyes, she was very excited all the same.

She took her blindfold off, her eyes closed, and stood there like that for 30 seconds, before opening her eyes. She gasped.

* * *

_**Hello people! :) See, I'm getting better at this whole updating thing! XD AND this one is longer than the others.... it's DOUBLE the length of the ones I usually write. I wasn't going to leave off where I did, but it was getting too long... and I thought that this was a good place to leave off - because I have an incentive for you: I'll update once you guys give me 1o reviews. Come on guys, 10?? It's not that hard people :) Come on guys, please? Soon as you do that, you get your chapter :) MUHAHAHHAHA I AM SO EVIL!! HAHAHA XDDD**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Oh Lu Ten!" Rui exclaimed. Rui had opened her eyes to find herself on a small cliff, overlooking a beautiful waterfall, right under a rainbow. Because the sun was at its highest point, it created a bright and clear rainbow for all too see. Rui's eyes filled with tears of happiness.

"Yes?" he answered innocently. She pounced on him in a strangling hug. Lu Ten laughed and hugged her back tightly. Rui pulled back from the hug for a moment to press her lips to his.

"It's beautiful – thank you." She smiled at him. Lu Ten grinned.

"The surprise isn't over, let me tell you," he said slyly, his eyes twinkling. Rui thought – for a second – that she had seen a small flash of nervousness, but when she didn't see it again, she just brushed it of as a figment of her imagination. She smiled at him.

"Let me guess – I have to close my eyes?" she said, knowingly. Lu Ten just nodded, grinning. Rui sighed in mock annoyance and closed her eyes, the sides of her mouth twitching.

Lu Ten took a deep breath before getting down on one knee, taking a box out of his inside pocket as he did so. He opened the box to reveal a glittering diamond ring. There was a medium sized diamond placed in the middle of a white gold ring that had an inscription in it.

"Rui," Lu Ten began. Rui opened her eyes and gasped when she saw Lu Ten and the ring. "I love you. You are my life, and I will _die_ without you. I miss you every single moment you are not in front of my eyes, and I constantly try to think of ways to hear your tinkling laugh. You are beautiful, inside and out. And even when you have become old, you will still be beautiful to me; you will still be the only star in my sky – the star that lights up my World, and, today, I ask you, Rui Crystal Xiao, will you be a part of my World for the rest of our existence? Will you marry me?" Lu Ten looked up at Rui, his eyes wide and hopeful. He saw a single tear slip down his Love's face, before her face broke out into a wide smile.

"Of _course_ I will!" she exclaimed, pouncing on him so they both fell to the ground in a heap. They just stayed like that for a few minutes, looking into each other's eyes, before Ruiwhispered, "thank you," and pressed her lips to his cheek. Lu Ten laughed.

"I think _I_ should be the one saying that to _you_." Rui laughed as Lu Ten kissed her temple and whispered, "I love you."

Rui snuggled into his chest and whispered back, "I love you too."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Come in," Iroh called when he heard a knock on his door. Lu Ten popped his head in his father's door.

"You called, Dad?" Iroh nodded.

"Yes, I did. Come in Lu Ten." He motioned for his son to come inside the room. "Tea?" he asked him, holding up the teapot. "It's jade," he said, smiling lovingly, for jade was his favourite tea.

"I'd love some. Thank you, Dad." Iroh waved his thanks off.

"Don't mention it, Son." They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying their tea. After a while, however, Lu Ten began to notice that his father looked quite nervous.

"Dad? Is everything alright?" Unexpectedly, Iroh laughed.

"You know me too well, my Son! Do I really make things that obvious?" Lu Ten chuckled.

"Yes, actually, you do." Iroh let out another booming laugh.

"Well, I'd better not delay any longer then." His smile faded and he looked to be lost in thought. "Hmm... Lu Ten... you know how you've been training to accompany me as co-general in the war?" Lu Ten nodded. "Well... your Grandfather has made it known that he would like for you to come with me the next time I go into battle." Iroh finished speaking looking down into his cup. He couldn't look at his son; he didn't know what to expect. He didn't want his son to put himself in danger, but he knew he had to give him a chance. Besides, with the Fire Lord expecting him to take part in the war, no matter what happened, his wish would be fulfilled.

When Lu Ten didn't respond for a few minutes, Iroh looked up to see mixed emotions on his son's face, but the most prominent one was one of happiness. His eyes were shining in such a way that Iroh had never seen before. Another one that Iroh saw on his son's face was one of regret and sadness. It wasn't very prominent though. Iroh wondered what could have – _Ohh..._. Now he understood. Rui. Lu Ten would have to leave her behind. She would be heartbroken. Iroh reached out and tentatively put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"She'll be okay. She will understand – I know she will." Iroh spoke with such assurance that Lu Ten was startled.

"You really think so?" Iroh bowed his head.

"She is stronger than we think." When Lu Ten still looked unsure, Iroh smiled and spoke again. "I _know_ so." Lu Ten smiled faintly at him, and some of the pain in his eyes eased up a bit. However, some of the pain still remained. "There's something else also, isn't there?" Lu Ten looked down, his expression unfathomable.

"I just proposed to Rui." Iroh sucked in a breath and held it. Lu Ten looked into his Father's eyes then, his expression full of pain. "She said yes."

Iroh was stunned into silence for a moment. Finally after a few moments a wide smile broke out on his face. He laughed and clapped his son on the back.

"Why, son, this is excellent news! We would have to conduct the marriage right away.... It would have to be rushed though, seeing as there isn't much time left...." Iroh continued on his mumbling, more to himself then to Lu Ten. However, one glance at his son silenced him immediately. His expression was one full of torture and self-approach.

"I – I can't do this to her, Dad." Lu Ten's voice sounded tortured and hollow. "I – I can't leave not knowing – " Lu Ten's voice broke. Fear like he hadn't felt in a while filled Iroh up to the brim, rendering him in-able to breathe. What was his son getting at? "I – I'm breaking up with her." Lu Ten's voice broke in several places.

Iroh stared at his son in shock.

"What?" he finally managed to gasp. "Why?" he implored. Lu Ten looked at him, a fierceness in his eyes that Iroh had never seen before.

"Because I can't leave her knowing that should something happen to me, she would be destroyed. If I break up with her now, she would at least not be as upset should I – " Lu Ten couldn't finish his sentence. Iroh then did something he hadn't done in a very long time. He pulled Lu Ten into a very tight embrace. He felt tears collect in his eyes and a few even escaped the safe enclosure of his eyes.

"Nothing will happen to you, son! I won't allow it!" Iroh said, fiercely, his voice gruff with emotion. Lu Ten returned the embrace with as much force as possible.

"And the same goes for you, Dad," Lu Ten managed to choke out through his own tears. Iroh pulled back from Lu Ten and wiped his tears away before kissing his forehead.

"I love you, Lu Ten. I know that you're a grown man and probably don't want me to say these things – but – I want you to know just how much I love you. You are my entire _World_, Lu Ten, and I can't stand to see you hurt – mentally _or_ physically. Please don't do this to yourself and Rui; it would kill me, as well as the both of you," Iroh begged his son, letting his tears cascade down his face. Lu Ten looked completely torn.

"But – how can I.... What if something happens to me? She won't survive that – I swear – she'll be shattered from the inside out, and no one will be here to pick up the pieces, Dad!" Lu Ten cried, his heart breaking into a million pieces. Iroh put a finger under his son's chin and tilted it up so he could look at his son in the eyes.

"I will not allow that to even come to pass, Lu Ten," Iroh said, his eyes shining with fierce determination. Lu Ten's eyes filled with even more tears as he looked away.

"Dad – please – don't make promises you can't keep." That just tore Iroh in two. He was suddenly wrecked with heart-wrenching sobs.

"Please, son, don't give up! She needs you – as you need her." Iroh was absently stroking the back of his son's head while he cried. He didn't even know why he was crying, really. He felt sad – that much he knew – but he couldn't tell if it was more for his son, or for his situation, or what? But he knew that he would have to gain control of himself, and soon, for his son's sake if not for his own. He pulled away again to look his son in the eyes and wipe away his tears. "Lu Ten – if you would like – I can talk to your Grandfather; you don't have to go if u don't want to." Lu Ten raised an eyebrow at his father. "I know he will probably act adamant – but – should the need arise – I will send you and Rui away from the Fire Nation." Before Iroh had even finished Lu Ten was shaking his head rather vigorously.

"No, Dad. I _want_ to go. I'm just scared of what will happen to Rui should I – " Iroh covered his son's mouth before he could say anything else.

"Stop! I will not allow you to speak like that!" Iroh said, panicked. Lu Ten just smiled sadly at him and stood up. He hugged his Father and whispered, "thank you," into his ear. Iroh pulled back to kiss his son's forehead.

"I love you, Lu Ten."

"Love you too, Dad."

Lu Ten walked over to the door and was about to walk out when Iroh spoke again.

"Where are you going?" Iroh asked his son, somewhat put-out that his son was leaving. Lu Ten turned completely around to face his father before replying.

"To find Rui. I – I have to talk to her." Remorse filled his son's face before it was replaced by a mischievous grin. "Why? You're not jealous, are you?" Iroh snorted with indignity while his son just laughed. "See you around, Dad." Iroh just nodded, pretending to be lost in thought. As soon as the door clicked closed behind his son, he dropped his head into his hands and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to prevent the tears that were threatening to spill again from doing so.

His son. His precious son was going to have to go into war with him. What if... _No! _Iroh would not let himself think of the worst.

"He _has _tolive – he just has to."

A silent tear slipped down Iroh's face and into his beard.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Lu Ten walked outside into the sunshine. As he walked, he tried thinking of ways to tell Rui he was going to war. _I know Dad said he wouldn't let anything happen to me, but since obviously that is a promise that he so obviously cannot keep, what really _will_ happen to Rui should I die? Should I just tell Rui upfront that I'm going to war… should I ask her, what should I do? How will she react? Will _she_ break up with _me_? _These were some of the questions and thoughts that were plaguing Lu Ten's mind. He knew that he had to tell her as soon as possible because the next war fleet was leaving in about a week's time. He had to tell her today, he realized.

Lu Ten had been walking aimlessly around in the nearby forest next to the palace while pondering these unsettling thoughts and questions. It's where his mother used to go to just spend time to think to herself, and it's where the General used to take him when he told Lu Ten stories about his mother. In a sense, it was almost like the forest was a shrine for his mother; her own personal shrine. Ever since the days his father used to tell him those stories, Lu Ten always came back to the forest to think. He always found he could find answers when he thought about things there. It was almost like his mother was guiding him in her own secret way – and that thought comforted Lu Ten.

Lu Ten walked out of the forest and began venturing towards Rui's home. He reached the pathway that lead up to her door and stopped. _How am I supposed to begin the conversation? _he asked himself. _Hey baby, I just proposed to you an hour ago, but now I just came to tell you that I'm off to the war,_ Lu Ten thought sarcastically to himself.

Finally, Lu Ten summoned up all his courage and rapped on her door 3 times. He heard faint humming before the door swung open, revealing Rui in a food covered apron, a huge smile on her face. It broke Lu Ten's heart that he would have be the reason for its disappearance.

Lu Ten took an extra minute to fully take in Rui's face, trying to commit whatever he could to memory, for that was all that he would have on the battle field. He looked deeply into her inquisitive, amethyst coloured irises, with the red rings around her pupils; his eyes travelled down her slightly sharp nose to sweep over her cream coloured cheeks, hectic spots of red splattered all over them. He then moved down to take in her hourglass figure, committing the way her shirts hug her body, and the way her body seemed to have curves in all the right places. Finally, his eyes raked over her slim legs and moved back up to her long arms, and finally back to her face.

When Lu Ten's eyes caught Rui's again, he saw fear and concern there. When Lu Ten still didn't move to join her at her door, Rui took a few steps out so that she was standing exactly 2 inches away from Lu Ten. When he continued to remain devoid of a reaction, Rui placed both of her hands on his face and leaned up and kissed him. After a few seconds, Lu Ten kissed her back, only with more passion and ferocity than she had ever dreamed he was capable of. When the finally broke away from each other, they were both breathless, and the hectic, red splotches on Rui's face had gotten worse; they were now entirely covering her cheeks, and they had even reached her neck.

After they both caught their breaths, Rui reached for Lu Ten's hand and pulled him onto the couch. She wrapped both her arms around his waist and leaned against him.

"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong, or are you going to keep me in the dark, Lu Ten?" Rui asked him, disappointment evident in her voice. Lu Ten closed his eyes, confused out of his mind. He couldn't bear to hurt her now, not today. He decided he would put it off. He knew he couldn't put off telling her forever, but he couldn't hurt her today of all days. He turned his face to hers and kissed her on top of her head.

"I really missed you, love. I wanted to commit you to memory; you like this, unconcerned about what people think about you, what you look like – even though you DO look unbelievably gorgeous – about how you're addressing people… because that's all going to change once you're my wife, and you know it. You'll be royalty, and you'll end up acting like one." Lu Ten sighed. "I want to remember you like this, the way I met you, so I just took a minute to commit your face to memory. You know what I mean?" Lu Ten finally asked, discovering that everything he had just said he actually felt and believed.

Rui didn't reply right away. Finally Lu Ten watched a smile break out across her face.

"I understand, love. And I'm sorry that you're convinced I'll change, because I don't think you factored in the fact that I'm already well known in the community to be in close contact with the Royals, Your Highness. I'm a general, remember? That too the youngest and the best that the Fire Nation has ever had – not to show off or anything," Rui added, a sparkle in her eye. Lu Ten smiled.

"Even so, love." Rui's smile slowly melted off of her face.

"Sweetheart… I know that you're hiding something, and I know that you're only hiding it to protect me, but, honestly love, it's only hurting me worse. If…," Rui paused and looked down. Lu Ten placed a finger under her chin and guided her face up to look him in the eye and nodded to her to continue. "If… if you're having any doubts about the wedding, please don't be afraid to say so. I mean, we can wait! And if it's a matter of you not wanting to marry someone not of your calibre we can arrange that also! I mean – " but before she could finish Lu Ten crushed her lips with his own.

"Don't ever say that again. Do you understand me?" Lu Ten finally told her when they broke away from each other. Rui looked down at her lap for a moment before looking back into his eyes and nodding.

"Good," Lu Ten sighed.

"What is wrong though, Lu Ten? Please tell me. Are you going to keep things like this from me when we're married too?" Rui teased. Lu Ten looked sharply at her and the smile faded from her face. "That's what's bothering you, isn't it? The marriage? Lu Ten, we don't have to get married if someone's saying something to you. I promise I won't hold it against you – ever." Rui said this to Lu Ten with confidence that she didn't actually feel. Instead, she felt her heart shattering into millions of tiny pieces.

Lu Ten grabbed her face with both his hands and kissed her fiercely. When he broke the kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers, pain satiated in his face.

"I don't want to not get married, but I think you might not want to."

"What? Why, Lu Ten?" she asked him, curiosity burning in her eyes. Lu Ten closed his eyes in pain. He hadn't wanted to have this conversation today, he had wanted to put if off for a few days, not wanting to ruin the moment. "Lu Ten, if you're getting cold feet, just _tell_ me!" she finally exclaimed, frustrated.

"Rui, for the _last_ time, I am _not_ getting cold feet!"

"Then _what_ is the problem, Lu Ten?"

"I… I…"

"Just tell me!"

"I've been called upon to join my father in trying to conquer Ba Sing Se!"

Lu Ten squeezed his eyes tight and clenched his teeth. He felt Rui slowly break away from him and he heard her walk a few steps and the scraping of a chair.

"When," she finally said after a long silence. Lu Ten opened his eyes to see her sitting on a dining table chair, looking down at her feet, a hollow expression on her face. Lu Ten felt his heart break.

"Three weeks," he finally managed to choke out. Lu Ten felt his heart breaking. How was he doing this to her?

"Okay. Well then; get out of my house." Lu Ten froze. What had she said? _No I must have misheard. Stupid me_, he told himself. "What? What more do you want to take from me? _GET OUT!_" she finally yelled. Lu Ten saw the new fierce anger in her eyes, and under that he saw the hurt. At least, he realized what it was later. In the moment, however, he was just furious.

"_What the hell is wrong with you Rui? _Do you think I _want_ to leave you? I'm the one who proposed to _you_, remember? _GOD! _Why are you so _selfish?_ _I'm_ the one who has a chance of dying out there – not you! You're acting as if I _want_ to leave you and forget about our wedding and everything! Do you even know what you're saying? I pursued _you_ remember? _I loved you first! How dare you imply that I just want to leave you for no reason! You're insane, Rui!_ Sometimes I can't even believe that I love you."

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Lu Ten regretted them. He watched as the hurt formed on Rui's face, only to be replaced with a mask of anger and hatred.

"I never want to see you again, do you understand me?" Rui announced in a cool, collected tone of voice. "And here – take your piece of junk back." Rui took of the ring that Lu Ten had given her and threw at his face. She turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her. Lu Ten had caught the ring with his right hand, a deep sadness in his heart. Suddenly, all that sadness turned into anger and he aimed his fist at a nearby bush and fire-bended into it, setting it ablaze. Lu Ten stalked away into the forest near Rui's home, knowing that the bush would just burn to the ground for there had been no flammable items near it.

He was so angry! How dare she? How _dare_ she kick him out of her house! Lu Ten kept walking into the forest, going deeper and deeper, not giving a care about where he was headed; he was too angry and hurt – despite the fact that he didn't want to admit it.

Finally, he ran out of energy, as he had burned off all of his anger, and he sank down onto a large rock. He placed his head in his hands and didn't move until he felt something wet fall into his hands. He was surprised; he hadn't even noticed he had begun crying.

"What am I going to do?" he finally asked aloud. Lu Ten continued sitting on the rock, lost in thoughts, until he heard sirens going off and lots of yelling coming from the direction in which he came from. He realized that something must be terribly wrong, so he wiped his tears, stood up, and began running in the direction from which the loud sounds were coming from.

As soon as he was in the outskirts of the forest, he knew that the sounds were coming from close-by, and so his heart then jumped to his throat. The house that was closest to the forest was Rui's… but it couldn't be coming from there… could it? Lu Ten pushed himself and ran even faster.

When he finally broke free of the forest, he almost dropped dead right there. Right there, in front of him, was Rui's house, and it was aflame. There were guards from the palace surrounding the house, throwing buckets on it, and they all looked stressed, panicked, worried…. Why would they be worried? It was just the house. The Firelord could always replace it later, since he was the one who gave it to her father in the first place. Therefore… there could only be one reason for this panic, which is why General Iroh was there as well… helping out… but Lu Ten couldn't stand to think of it. Suddenly he heard screaming; faint screaming. He looked around, but when he couldn't see anyone screaming, he caught his father's eye, questions raging in them, but instead of looking back, he simply looked to the ground.

"NO!" Lu Ten yelled. He looked at the house, and, without thinking, he ran straight for it. He ran to the door, shoulder first, so it broke down easily. He felt the flames licking his arms, leaving their marks upon his flesh, but he didn't care. All he cared about was the love of his life, who was amidst all of those flames. "RUI! RUI WHERE ARE YOU?" Lu Ten yelled. He didn't receive any answer, and he began panicking. He ran through her foyer and into her kitchen, but she wasn't there. Finally he heard whimpering coming from the direction of her bedroom, that was behind roaring flames. _No wonder she hadn't tried to get out herself._ "RUI! RUI, SWEETHEART, I'M COMING!"

Lu Ten hesitated for a second before running right through the flames and throwing open his fiancée's door. He saw her curled up on the bed, the painting of them in her hand, semi-conscious from all of the carbon monoxide. _The fire must have been burning for a long time_, Lu Ten thought to himself. Lu Ten moved towards Rui and lifted her into his arms. He turned around to face the door, but he saw that the flames had gotten even larger and more powerful. Using firebending to try and control the flames would be suicide since they were so powerful already. One wrong move and both he and Rui were dead. He wouldn't be able to run through them again however, the oxygen that had gotten to the flames through the open bedroom door had fuelled them to become much larger – that's when Lu Ten had an idea. _The oxygen has to be coming from _somewhere_, which is obviously her window. It's our only shot. I love you, Rui._

Lu Ten kissed Rui's forehead before running to her window and jumping out of it.

* * *

I am. So. So. So X Infinity Sorry. I know I have been a REALLY bad author, so I'm not going to make any more promises of updating quickly. I'll update whenever I can and don't get distracted by Ghost Whisperer or House. :$ I love you all for staying with me so long. Thank you all so much. :) Love you all. 3

I KNOW I don't deserve it, but PLEASE - I'm begging - R&R :) It helps to motivate me. I know, I know, I don't deserve it. Sorry again. Really. 333

XOXOXOXO


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